


Just By Chance

by UpDownLeftGone



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5
Genre: College, Kinda matters on the game you're looking at, Loneliness, M/M, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Sojiro is such a dad, Texting, kinda a crossover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-26 04:33:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13850196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UpDownLeftGone/pseuds/UpDownLeftGone
Summary: Going back to the city will be a new start. College will be a new start. New people will be a new start. Whoever the hell is at the other end of this wrong number will be a new start. And maybe that’s exactly what Yosuke needs. A new start. A new start after everyone leaves because what the hell are friends for anyways?





	1. Just Old Friends

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [nebulous](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3159638) by [delicatty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/delicatty/pseuds/delicatty). 
  * Inspired by [Wrong Numbers and Coffee](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7942702) by [BreatheInBreatheOutMoveOn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreatheInBreatheOutMoveOn/pseuds/BreatheInBreatheOutMoveOn). 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you (somehow) haven't read nebulous or Wrong Numbers and Coffee then you should, the authors are really freaking talented and threw me headfirst into the whole 'texting' thing which is pretty central to this fic. You don't have to read their's to know what's going on here, in fact this fic is in no way tied to the plot of either of them, but you should read their's at some point just because they're really good.
> 
> Anyways, I also want to say I never got the chance to play Golden and I'm hanging on for (most) spoilers just in case they ever do make a remake or I somehow get a Vita so this will likely be an AU in the sense of Golden, but I'm gonna try to keep it as true to the original Persona 4 as possible.

Yosuke Hanamura’s face always broke out into a smile every time he got a call from his best friend, Yu Narukami. It had been months since they last saw each other, Golden Week was an unforgettable yet distant memory. After those events, all the boys had was their cellphones. While it stunk, it was still better than nothing, at least until Yu came back to Inaba.

So, as you may imagine, laying on his bed after working at Junes, Yosuke smiled wide on the first day of July when he got a call from Yu. The phone didn’t even ring twice when he picked it up and put it to his ear with an enthusiastic “Hey partner!”

“Hey, Yosuke.” Something was off. His partner, while not the most expressive person, always sounded at least happy to hear him when he picked up the phone. Today, his voice sounded strained. Yosuke’s smile immediately fell.

“Something wrong? You don’t sound like yourself.”

“Well, it’s just,” Yu hesitated and Yosuke could hear a static sigh through the phone. “My parents apparently didn’t like me going back to Inaba for Golden Week, you know how they are, and because of that I’m not allowed to go back during summer break or winter break…” his voice trailed off.

“H-huh? What’re you talking about? Your parents can’t do that to you! That’s just unfair!”

“Yosuke… they’re my parents and, while I don’t agree with their decision, I can’t just run off to Inaba. I’m sorry.”

“Wha- but I- erm- _we_ \- had so many plans for you this summer! What’s wrong with your parents anyways?! Do they not like us or something? They’re never even home, you told us yourself! They can’t make decisions for you like this, that’s just fucked up!” Yosuke was enraged now, the weight of the situation stirring up anger.

“Yosuke, please calm down. I know, and trust me, I don’t like it either. But, we’re only in school for another year. I’ll do everything I can to make it back to Inaba after then, I swear, my parents can’t control my life forever,” that last part came out as more of a sigh than anything. “I haven’t told the rest of the team yet, I figured you should be the first to know."

Yosuke took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “Ok, it’ll be ok,” He was talking more to himself than his friend. “So long as you promise that we’ll see each other again because, man, I don’t know how I’m going to survive this year only texting and calling you.”

“I promise.”

* * *

**A Good While Later**

_I promise._ Bullshit.

It was a late Saturday night, only a few days before graduation. University was so close, he had been counting down the days in his head, the days until he could see his best friend again. Or so he thought.

“Come on, please respond,” the boy whispered into his phone screen, his latest attempt at contacting the old friend staring back, the old smiling profile picture of his lost partner driving needles into his heart. “Please.”

Tears welled in the corners of his eyes, out of grief or rage, he didn't know. It had been months, months of missed calls and unread texts.

Yet, somehow, it only took two weeks for the team to give up on their leader.

 

_“Well what if he just moved again, like outside of Japan and had to get a new number or sumthin’?” Kanji had suggested. That wasn’t right, he would have told them if he was moving again._

_Chie caught the distressed look on Yosuke's face. "It's probably something dumb, I'm sure the guy's alright. I mean he did lead us in the TV world and we all know how dangerous that was."_

_Rise, hugging her knees tight, apparently didn't hear Chie. “I - I hope nothing happened to Senpai.”_

_"Narukami is fine. It has been a long time, however, if he was in danger he would have found a way to contact us. If something were to have happened I would be the first to hear from Dojima about it," Naoto affirmed the group. "There is no need to panic. It is, quite possibly, his parents doing. Remember what he told us last year?"_

_The group nodded._

_"It's probably for the best we don't go looking for him. If his parents were too..." Yukiko's voice trailed off, but everyone knew what she was implying. They had no clue what situation he was in and if they weren't careful, they could make it worse._

_That fact didn't help Yosuke's anger. How? How could they just leave him. He could be in trouble, what if he was dead?_

 

Yosuke shook his head, stopping that train of thought from spreading, and looked down at his phone once more, realizing he scrolled all the way up to last May.

 

> **~May 17th 2012~**
> 
> **1:25pm Yosuke:**
> 
> hey partnr, gldn wk was awsum n we all miss u. whn u coming nxt?
> 
> **1:30pm Yu:**
> 
> _Not sure, my parents still haven’t said much about the trip. I honestly expect the worst._
> 
> **1:31pm Yosuke:**
> 
> :(
> 
> **1:31pm Yu:**
> 
> _Hey don’t be like that, I’m sure we’ll see each other soon enough! Until then, at least we still have our phones right?_
> 
> **1:32pm Yosuke:**
> 
> tru, but still i wnna c u
> 
> **1:33pm Yu:**
> 
> _I know, I want to see you guys too. I have to go, parents are calling. Tell Ted I say hi._
> 
> **1:33pm Yosuke:**
> 
> k... l8r
> 
>  

He scrolled some more, until getting to the last texting conversation where his friend actually responded.

 

> **~December 15th 2012~**
> 
> **4:07pm Yosuke:**
> 
> ur parents r asses
> 
> **4:07pm Yosuke:**
> 
> its stupid
> 
> **4:08pm Yosuke:**
> 
> they cnt make decisions like tht 4 u. u shood b able to come bk if u wnt
> 
> **4:32pm Yu:**
> 
> _I know. Trust me, I know. Like I said, once high school is over I’ll be there._
> 
> **4:32pm Yosuke:**
> 
> promise, partnr?
> 
> **4:35pm Yu:**
> 
> _Promise._
> 
>  

Beyond that, The text log was full of text after text with no response, each one more desperate than the next. He continued scrolling.

 

> **~January 1st 2013~**
> 
> **12:00am Yosuke:**
> 
> hppy new yrs partnr!!
> 
> **12:05am Yosuke:**
> 
> dnt tell me ur sleeping alrdy
> 
> **12:20am Yosuke:**
> 
> nerd ;)
> 
> **~January 6th 2013~**
> 
> **1:22pm Yosuke:**
> 
> hey partnr its been awhile u ok?
> 
> **5:09 pm Yosuke:**
> 
> pls respnd soon were worrid
> 
>  

His thumb was now flicking through messages, stopping only every once and awhile, watching as he dropped his shorthand in favor for clearer texts. Maybe if he looked serious Yu would finally respond. Like that actually made a difference.

 

> **~February 17th 2013~**
> 
> **2:03am Yosuke:**
> 
> Yu, seriously, please respond to me. The rest of the team is really worried.
> 
>  
> 
> **~February 20th 2013~**
> 
> **4:12 pm Yosuke:**
> 
> Please.
> 
>  

He reached the last message sent, the one he typed out only a few minutes ago.

 

> ** ~February 27th 2013~ **
> 
> **11:32pm Yosuke:**
> 
> graduation is soon n I hope u remember ur promise, partnr.
> 
>  
> 
> _(Message failed to send. Hold to retry)_
> 
>  

No matter how hard he tried to will the message to send, every time he tapped the retry button, the message would only come back unsent. That meant this was it. His friends number was no longer in service. Any hope that Yosuke was holding onto shattered, the tears started spilling out of his eyes.

“But you promised,” he looked up at the screen, it felt as if he had just figured it out, the shock now just setting in. His best friend was gone for one reason or another, and he would likely never see him again.

 

~~~~

 

> **~March 4th 2013~**
> 
> **2:32am Yosuke:**
> 
> Dear Partner, i miss u. graduation passed n ur still not here. i no its only been a day bt still i rembr u prmisd me ud see me aftr u wernt contrld by ur parents. i also no u wont respnd 2 this bc ur phones off but imma prtend u will c this bc-
> 
>  

Yosuke stopped, looking at his half-finished text. Because why? Why did he want to pretend his old best friend would read his unsent messages?

 

> -bc i dnt wnt u 2 b gone. i wnt u 2 still b here w every1. bc i wnna no wht uni ur going 2 n i wnna no what ur studying n i wnna no where ur at bc i miss u partnr n i wnna tell u-

 

His tears fell freely onto his pillow now. Everything he wanted to tell his best friend would be left unknown to the other boy, and sending a text that was months too late to be received was as much closure as he was going to get.

 

> -i wnna tell u i lov u. n ur smile is amzing n i wnt u 2 b hppy no mattr what ur doing n i hope u do what u love n find some1 2 lov n i just wish i new if ur hppy or nt

It was by far the most sappiest thing he’d ever texted out. Not even the only girlfriend he had for over a month got shit like this. He pressed send.

 

> _(Message failed to send. Hold to retry)_
> 
>  

It wasn’t like he expected anything else, or even wished for anything else given the contents of the message, but getting a ‘Message failed’ as the only reply still sent a pang of hurt through his heart. Despite this, he finally felt as if he could actually fall asleep for the first time in what could have been forever. Plugging his phone into his charger, he rolled over and closed his eyes, accepting that his new life freed from high school, his parents, and the hope of finally seeing his best friend again started in less than a month.

 

~~~~

 

As he expected, the month flew by. It was all finalizing the apartment, packing, donating the junk he kept in his room to charity, finally throwing away the under-the-futon goods (to hopefully be replaced with better ones from the city), and an effort to contact the friends who had drifted apart that last year of high school just to say goodbye.

Except everyone was busy.

Chie had moved to city halfway through her senior year after being accepted to some police training academy. They rarely talked since.

Yukiko was training to run the inn, she would take over for her mother this year, as well as taking online college courses for a business degree.

Kanji started an online knitting business and the first month proved he would be swamped with orders for probably the next year. There were also talks of him taking up his grandma’s textile shop.

Rise was somewhere in America right now on tour, she would be there for another year or so filming a whole TV show with, on top of that, a movie deal.

Teddie went with Rise to America, the agency loved him and he said something about how him being back on the TV was fate or something.

Naoto had moved to Tokyo at the end of her first year, disowning her title as the Detective Prince. Something about needing a new start with more opportunities in the city. Maybe he could meet her there.

Yu… was somewhere. Wherever he was, he was ok. Yosuke knew that. He had to be.

After checking his phone one last time for any last minute replies, to which there was none, he sighed and started towards the station.

He paused at the spot he waited, almost every day in the summer, for the 8am train, the one coming from Tokyo, the one his friend promised to get off of one day. It was almost ironic that Yosuke would be taking the train going the other way today.

 

Most of the ride was spent looking out the window as music blasted through his headphones. If someone tried talking to him, he wouldn't hear it. Yosuke figured he should try to figure out his situation, but he was sure he'd be able to figure at out once he got to the station, it wasn't his first time in Tokyo after all.

Boy was he wrong.

How much you can forget about a place in just two and a half years is crazy. Or at least that’s what Yosuke thought as he stood at Shibuya station armed with a suitcase, a train pass, and his old orange headphones, now silent and hanging around his neck. Through his parent’s connections, he managed to get a pretty affordable price on an apartment somewhere in the backstreets of the country’s capital. Having lived in the middle of Tokyo most of his life, he knew his way around pretty well, but anyone would have trouble after being thrown out into the boonies for over two years and then immediately thrown back into the concrete jungle, just all alone this time, right?

He took out his map and squinted, trying to figure out what line he had to transfer to. Back when he lived here, he left all of the directions and train transfers to his parents or his friends. It never actually occurred to him that he actually had no experience with the subway systems until now. Once he was pretty sure he had his bearings, he grabbed the worn orange suitcase and made for the depths of Shibuya Station.

 

It was getting late and the sun was starting to set, yet Yosuke still couldn’t find his stupid little apartment. Deciding he had sucked up his pride long enough, he made his way to a little cafe in the backstreets of a part of the city he knew nothing about in order to ask for the help he desperately needed. The sign outfront was faded, but it said something close to “Lblan” or “Leblanc” or “Elblank”. It was already too tattered and made nearly impossible to read in the fading light. He reached for the door, but backed away as a woman and her daughter emerged from the place.

The little girl, maybe 11 or 12, ran out of the door, under her mother's arms, and stopped to look at Yosuke, a curious look painted on her face. “Whoa! Cool headphones!” her face lit up as she exclaimed and her mother held the door open, “those’re the old Music Technicas! Right?”

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Yosuke fumbled his words, taken aback by the girls interest in his dingy old headphones. She giggled and ran off.

The mother sighed. “Futaba! Come back here, it’s dark outside,” she then turned to face Yosuke and sighed. “Sorry, she can be a little high strung sometimes. Uh, have a good evening!” She ran off after her daughter.

And with that, Yosuke entered the little hole-in-the-wall cafe.

It was a small little cafe, with about 5 booths backed by ugly worn puke-green leather and a small bar area lined by diner-looking chairs with red cushions. The dull lamps that shined above the booths were straight out of a mom-and-pop diner that only served microwaveable dinners. An old CRT tv was placed almost precariously on a shelf in the back of the cafe, mumbling background noise. The same shade of dark brown wood lined everything and somehow pulled the whole place together. Everything about the cafe was ugly upon first glance, but weirdly homely. It was completely out of place in the middle of the city, but it reminded Yosuke of the old interior of the buildings in Inaba.

“Oh hey, I was just about to close up, you’re just in time. What’ll it be?” The barista turned to look him. It was an older gent, probably mid to late thirties, with the posture of a 60 year old and the goatee of a pimp. Certainly not someone you’d normally find behind the counter of a coffee shop.

“Oh, uh, actually I was wondering if you knew how to get here?” Yosuke took out a piece of paper with the address to his apartment scribbled on it and showed it to the older man.

The barista frowned and shook his head. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

“I mean, kinda I guess. I lived here up until I was 16 but then my parents decided to drag me out to-” he was rambling again, “I mean, I’ve never really tried to go anywhere alone here.”

“I can tell. You realize this is Yungen Jaya, right?”

Yosuke snatched the map back as he sat at one of the bar stools, his eyes growing wide. “Aw crap, you mean I gotta somehow make it all the way to the other side of the city in like,” he looked down at his phone, his eyes becoming impossibly wide, “fifteen minutes?!”

“Think you’ll be able to make it?”

Yosuke put his elbows on the table, resting his head in his hands and let out a muffled “there’s no damn way. Even if I could get there in the dark I think the last train already left.”

Yosuke sat thinking for what had to be at least 20 minutes, looking up train times and taxi fares, sputtering out how screwed he was tonight when he finally looked up at the older man. “Well, do you know anywhere I can spend the night? Somewhere cheap around here? Because man if I have to sleep out on the streets…”

The barista light a cigarette and held out his hand. “Sojiro Sakura.”

Yosuke looked up confused for a second, but then grabbed the man’s hand “Yosuke Hanamura.”

Sojiro shook Yosuke’s hand and then started walking over to the coffee machine, the cigarette hanging from his mouth.

“Well, kid, now that we’ve introduced each other I’ll tell ya what. There’s a small room upstairs with a futon and some blankets. You can use it tonight if you want.” He walked back towards Yosuke, placing a cup of coffee in front of a grateful looking Yosuke. “But if I come back tomorrow and this place is ransacked then I have your full name and apartment address so don’t try anything funny. Also, coffee’s on the house.”

“Really? Wow, thank you so much Sakura-san. You’re a lifesaver.”

Sojiro huffed. “‘Sakura-san’ sounds too formal,” he trailed off for a second before a smile flashed across his face. “Just call me Boss.”

Yosuke lifted his coffee and nodded towards Sojiro. “You got it, Boss.”

“Alright, there’s a bathhouse across the way if you need to decent up. Try to leave the room the way you found it, but it’s a mess up there anyways so that shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll stay here for another half-hour or so if you need anything, but past then I’ll leave my number by the public phone down here. Call from there if you need something. I would say just use your cell but I don’t like to keep guy’s numbers on my phone.”

Yosuke nodded along, a curious look passing his face at the last statement.

Between sips and small talk, he managed to finish his coffee without a rush and thanked Sojiro before checking out the room upstairs. It wasn’t much of a room, actually, in fact it was more like an attic. Surprisingly, it still had room for a couch, a futon, and a few storage shelves. Yosuke started by digging his own blanket out from his suitcase and laying it over the futon. It already felt like home.

The dust, however, was still horrible, making him sneeze a few times before he was finally able to dig his pajamas out from the bottom of his suitcase.

“I’m leaving! Don’t cause any trouble,” Sojiro shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll try my best,” Yosuke joked back. He could practically hear the barista smirk as the front door jingled shut. Maybe he just met the man, but the coffee didn’t seem poisonous - it was actually really good - and he didn’t seem like a bad guy, so everything was turning out alright, even if his first friend back in the city was a 30-something-year-old man who pitied him enough to give him a place to sleep for one night.

Yosuke slipped into his pajamas and threw the blanket over himself before turning to his phone.

 

> **~April 7th 2013~**
> 
> **10:45pm Yosuke:**
> 
> Hey Partner, lifes well ovr here. i got lost in tokyo evn tho i livd here at 1 point n most of my lfe at tht. lukly a old dude took pity on me n let me sty in his attic for 1 nite. tht snds creepier typd out lol. bt no hes a cool dood, evn mde me free coffee. yah btw thts rigt, i like coffee a lot now. a lot chnges in a yr doesnt it?? anyways i still miss u. i probs woldnt hve gotten lost w/ u or at lst we wuld have been in this situ 2gther. remebr 2nd yr when we said wed get an apprtmnt 2gther for uni?? i wish we still did its gonna be lonly.
> 
>  
> 
> Sent.
> 
>  
> 
> _(Message failed to send. Hold to retry)_
> 
>  

Every night for nearly a month. Texting a ghost was becoming a nighttime ritual at this point. He wasn't sure why he did it, it wasn't like his friend was going to respond or anything, especially since the messages weren't even sending, but he couldn't just forget the most important person in his life like that.

Yosuke set down his phone. Tomorrow would be the first official day of his new life away from Inaba, away from his old painful memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a good while since I've written or posted anything anywhere, so I know I'm rusty. Because of that, feedback is definitely welcome. I'll also probably be coming back to edit this a lot, but I think I know where I want this fic to go in the future. I'm also not setting an update schedule, but hey if you guys really like it then I'll say I'll aim for once a week. Oh also, this is unbeta'd because I'm the only one of my friends who likes Persona and doesn't think all fanfics are trash lol.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy! And uh, leave kudos or a comment if ya wanna!
> 
> PS. If Yosuke's shorthand is just too much I'll be willing to dial it back a little. Just let me know!


	2. Just Old Memories

Yosuke awoke the next morning to the sound of his alarm and the smell of coffee along with something his nose couldn’t identify, not this early in the morning at least. But whatever it was, it made his stomach rumble. Yosuke slapped a hand down on his phone, turning off his alarm and turned over. He was never much of a morning person - and by that he meant that Teddie had to literally drag him out of bed pretty much his whole third year - but he just had to investigate the amazing smell coming from downstairs. So, he ran his fingers through his hair in a half-hearted attempt to brush out the bed head, quickly got dressed, and headed downstairs.

Surprisingly, the cafe wasn’t completely empty despite it being so early in the morning. A woman with long grey hair sat at the seat he sat in yesterday. There were obvious dark circles under her eyes and she looked exhausted. She turned to him, as if startled by his sudden appearance.

“Oh,” her expression softened, but her voice stayed intimidating. “Are you a part-timer? I’m surprised this place could afford one.”

“Yeah, something like that.” Sojiro stood in a nook behind the bar that held a kitchen more akin to one you would find in an old rusted out mobile home rather than an old cafe, but still, whatever he was cooking smelled really good.

The woman looked down at her phone and sighed. “I must be going. Thank you for the coffee.” She stood up and walked out the door without looking back.

“Who was she?” asked Yosuke, sitting himself down in one of the bar stools.

“I think her name’s Sae or something. Last name’s Nijima, works down at the public prosecutor's office. I guess her dad or brother or something died on the line of duty recently and she’s been coming here a bit just to ‘get away for a little’ as she puts it.” Sojiro turned off the stove and emerged from the little nook with a plate.

“Curry? For breakfast?”

“Just eat it.” He placed the plate in front of Yosuke.

“Wow. Thanks again.”

Sojiro made an approving noise. “You know, if you do need a job, I could actually use a part-timer around here. Just to help with dishes and maybe I could teach you how to make a decent cup of coffee.”

“Maybe. I still need to find my apartment but after that if I need the work I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“Ladies love a man who knows his coffee, you know? Just text or call me. You can take the note I left with my number last night.”

“What happened to ‘no dudes on my phone’?”

“I can make an acception.”

Yosuke dug into the plate of curry sitting in front of him. “Holy crap,” he started through a mouthful of curry, then swallowed. “This is really freaking good. I gotta part-time here if you can teach me to make this.”

Sojiro smirked. “Maybe.”

The curry was gone in seconds.

 

Now, Yosuke was dragging his suitcase down the stairs, a crunched-up map in his hand. He sat down at the bar again.

“Alright, just gotta figure out where to go from here…” he opened the map. Sojiro leaned over the other side of the bar just enough to see where Yosuke was looking.

“Judging by the address you should just take the Ginza line all the way down. From there it shouldn’t be to far of a walk.” He leaned back to light a cigarette. “And be sure to get an umbrella, it’s looks like it’s going to rain later.”

“Gotcha. In that case I should probably get going, man this is gonna take forever.” Yosuke stood up, groaning. “Thanks for everything. I mean it.”

“No problem, kid. Take care of yourself. And don’t forget to let me know if you need a part-time job.”

He walked towards the door with a wave goodbye, pocketing the little note left by the old landline on the way out.

 

~~~~

 

 A few hours of naps on public transport, wandering, and getting lost once or twice or ten times finally lead Yosuke to his current home. And oh boy was it just wonderful.

He almost felt like he was a part of a bad comedy when he unlocked the door only to nudge it open part way before it got stuck, turns out an old torn-apart futon was blocking it. Well, at least the place was furnished. The apartment was smaller than LeBlanc's attic, and that included the kitchen and bathroom. It was a small one-room thing that smelled musty and had a window with a spectacular view of a solid brick wall. The inside was painted a bright color of beige complemented by some kind of Mystery Stain X, which added an extra sprout of dark green, red, and brown to one of the walls. It was all tied together by a carpet that might have been white at some point.

With a heave, he was able to open the door wide enough to wiggle himself and his suitcase through. He took a look around. A mini fridge, a small toaster oven, a sink, a small couch, a coffee table, and torn up futon. No TV. Thank god, no TV. The last thing he needed was to be sucked back up into the TV world in the middle of Tokyo. With a long exhale, he unzipped the suitcase and got to work.

 

It wasn’t until late that evening when Yosuke finally finished cleaning the place up and he had to admit, it wasn’t half bad. It was still unbearably small, but a candle and some cleaning had gotten rid of the smell and some rags and water do wonders on dust and Mystery Stain X’s. If only it worked that way with Chie and Yukiko’s cooking.

Exhausted, Yosuke threw himself onto his now fully-made futon, completed with a single pillow, an old white sheet, and an orange sleeping bag he forgot he packed but was glad he did. He took out his phone. 8:15. Everything in Inaba would have been closed by now, but this was Tokyo, and he was starving.

He walked out of his apartment and down to the trains, heading towards Shibuya.

 

This part of Tokyo was practically his childhood. Yosuke walked past the old arcade he and his friends used to hang out in, the movie theater where they snuck into a few R rated movies, and the bookstore he used to go to until one of his friends proclaimed that reading was ‘stupid’ and ‘for nerds’. At the time, it was all fun and innocent, but after awhile in Inaba he realized those ‘friends’ were only using him for money. Yosuke was always the one to pay for the games and the food, his friends gossiping around him. He never even really got a thanks from them. How could he have been so blind? It was only after he met Yu that he realized just how shitty those kids where. But now Yu isn’t...  no. He had to stop thinking about it.

Yosuke shook his head and entered the Diner at the end of the street. After a little bit of waiting, he decided on the steak. It immediately reminded him of Chie. Instinctively, he reached for his phone, ready to text the girl a picture and something stupid about how ‘Tokyo steak is the best steak’ before realizing they haven’t spoken in months. They just sort of lost contact with her at the police academy and it would be weird just to text her a picture of steak out of nowhere after so long in silence, especially after everything that had happened, so he put his phone back and ate the steak quietly in the middle of the busy restaurant.

 

~~~~

 

The way back didn’t go as smoothly as Yosuke had planned it. A wrong train accompanied by a wrong turn in the dark wasn't exactly the most ideal of circumstances when attempting to travel so late at night, but, of course, that's exactly what happened to him. Somehow he found himself at Shujin Academy, the high school he attended for a half a year before being thrown off to Inaba. It looked the exact same since the day he had left. The uniform probably still included those stupid checkered pants, too.

Despite only attending the school for a half a year, that half a year was still a crazy mess. It was around that time his grades started slipping and friendships came undone and then suddenly he was moving away to place he’d never been and never wanted to be in the first place. Of course, it all worked out in the end, at least to a point, but at the time the thought of moving away was just mortifying.

He found himself walking past the entrance of the school where a small sniffle caused him to look down. A girl who hardly even seemed high school age was crouched down, hugging her knees by the school gate. Yosuke was tempted to leave her until she looked up, her eyes became wide with shock as she stood up.

“I’m sorry. I uh, should be going.”

She turned to leave but Yosuke caught her. “Hey, wait. What’s wrong? Why are you here so late?”

She wiped her eyes. “I-it’s nothing. I- I actually don’t even go to this school yet, it was just on the way home and since I’m planning on going here next year I stopped to check it out. That’s all.”

Yosuke was unconvinced. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Huh?”

It was something that Yu would have done. Ask someone about their problems and try to help. He had done that for Yosuke, so Yosuke should do it for someone else, right? “I-I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You just looked upset, so I don’t think you’re telling the whole story. Plus it’s really late. At least let me walk you to the station.” He tried to say it as not-creepy as possible. It’s not like he had any ill intent, and for a moment it actually seemed to have worked.

The girl let out a breath and paused for a second, before tears started falling from her already puffy red eyes. “M-my father just passed away. N-now my sister’s the only one left to take care of me and it’s been difficult, she’s not doing very well with everything. Today was my first day back at school s-so I wanted to stay out as long as possible in order to not burden her further. I- I came here seeking a tutor to help with the first week b-but the truth of it is I j-just don’t want to go home!” Her face contorted and she slapped her hand over her mouth. “I-I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. I should just get going.”

The girl hugged her bag close and quickly walked past Yosuke who decided not to run after her. This late it wouldn’t have been a good idea, plus the station was right up ahead so she would probably be fine. Not to mention, he felt a drop of rain hit his forehead. He sighed and continued to walk towards his dingy apartment.

 

~~~~

 

With the futon out of the way, the door opened with ease. He threw himself down onto the past door-stop, now leaned against the wall on the other side of the room, and checked the time. 10:55. Classes start tomorrow and he still has no clue how to get to the actual University. Groaning into his pillow, he brought his phone up in front of him and scrolled down until he reached Yu Narukami’s old contact. Fidgeting himself into a comfortable texting position, he started typing.

 

> **~April 8th 2013~**
> 
> **10:58 Yosuke:**
> 
> Dear Partner, hey hows life?? Its gud hre. i srvivd lst nite n fond my apprtmnt. its smll n the futn is uncmfrtble bt i gess its hme 4 now. whre r u? ik u were in tkyo for awhle aftr u mved bck but idk anymre. r u in uni here or did u mve agin?? mb ill run into u rndmly, wuldnt tht b weird. i stll miss u.
> 
>  
> 
> Sent
> 
>  
> 
> _(Message failed to send. Hold to retry)_

 

Yosuke forced himself to stand up and change into his pajamas, brush his teeth, and turn off the lights before returning to the futon and laying down. The raindrop covered window leading out to the brick wall provided a light glow from the city full of lights. The bar that the wall belonged to must have had a blinking sign. Red, orange, yellow, blue. Red, orange, yellow, blue. He starred out at the colors counting how many loops passed and listening to the soft thumping of the rain until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the support so far! Gonna try to keep to the whole once-a-week thing but no promises, of course school decides to start kicking my butt as soon as I start typing. Anyways, as always, feedback is welcome!


	3. Just a Wrong Number

Classes were a breeze. At least, when he found out how to get to his classes they were a breeze. Turns out, the University was nearly all the way across Tokyo, or at least it felt that way. A one and a half hour commute back and forth along with three transfers was hell. But, that small cafe wasn’t too far off the beaten path so maybe he could crash there on late nights, that is if Sojiro would let him.

He stepped foot into his apartment, almost dark outside already, and immediately spotted a small envelope. Bills. Holding his breath, he took the paper and unfolded it, then immediately dropped it, only to pick it up again with wide eyes.

“Deal my ass.”

It had to be illegal to charge someone this much for such a shitty place. Nonetheless, he still reluctantly paid them, but he was going to need a job if he wanted to get through next month and still be able to eat. That’s when he remembered the phone number Sojiro had given him.

He took it out of his pocket and entered it into the phone.

 

> **~April 9th 2013~**
> 
> **5:54pm Yosuke:**
> 
> hy boss its that 1 kid u let sleep in ur attic a fw days ago. i ws wndering abt that job u offerd.

 

All of that got deleted as soon as he typed it. Even if the old man did get texts there was no way he was going to able to read his admittedly weird shorthand. Everyone from the Investigation Team even had trouble with his, to quote Chie, “weird alien speak” at first.

 

> **5:57pm Yosuke**
> 
> Hey Sojiro. It’s that one kid you let sleep in your attic a few days back. I was curious about that job offer? Turns out my landlord doesn’t know how much a single yen is worth.

 

His phone buzzed almost immediately.

 

> **5:58pm Unknown Sender:**
> 
> _Sorry, but I don’t know a Sojiro. Nor am I in Tokyo. Wrong number?_

 

Yosuke took out the paper again and compared the numbers. Apparently he was putting them in too quickly because he missed like four digits, turns out a three is not the same thing as an eight and six and nine are indeed two different numbers.

 

> **6:00pm Yosuke:**
> 
> sht ya srry. idk hw bt i missed lik 4 dgits lol

 

He didn’t even realize he accidentally typed in his shorthand until he sent the message.

 

> **6:00pm Yosuke:**
> 
> Whoops sorry. My shorthand is a bad habit lol. What I meant to say is ‘sorry, I don’t know how but I missed like 4 digits in the number.’
> 
>  
> 
> **6:03pm Unknown Sender:**
> 
> _Oh it’s alright. I can read your shorthand, I actually had a friend who texted like that awhile back so I’m used to it._
> 
>  
> 
> **6:04pm Yosuke:**
> 
> o tnk god
> 
>  
> 
> wait y am i tnking god i dnt evn no u. srry if im being anoying. ill leve u b
> 
>  
> 
> **6:07pm Unknown Sender:**
> 
> _Don’t worry about it, I don’t get wrong number texts often so this is honestly quite interesting. You’re in Tokyo, huh?_
> 
>  
> 
> _You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to._
> 
>  
> 
> **6:08pm Yosuke:**
> 
> jst mvd here actully. uni.
> 
>  
> 
> **6:09pm Unknown Sender:**
> 
> _Haha that’s funny, I actually just moved out of there because of Uni. Is it your first year, by chance?_
> 
>  
> 
> **6:09pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yup. wtre the odds i acidntly txt som1 the sme age as me n jst mvd frm the plce i mvd too??
> 
>  
> 
> so wait do u no ur way arnd tokyo cuz i culd use sme hlp here
> 
>  
> 
> **6:10pm Unknown Sender:**
> 
> _What are the odds I get a text from someone the same age as me who just moved to the place I moved away from? And yes, for the most part at least, especially in the Shibuya area. Ask away._
> 
>  
> 
> **6:11pm Yosuke:**
> 
> touche. do u no a bttr way 2 get frm umenjima 2 komazawa-daigaku n back tht dsnt take n hr n a half??
> 
>  
> 
> **6:15pm Unknown Sender:**
> 
> _WOW. What way were you taking? It’s about 50 minutes if you take Tobu Skytree all the way down to get to Komazawa. On the way back take Tokyo-Den-entoshi to Kitasenju and then switch to Skytree. That’s still about 50 minutes._
> 
>  
> 
> **6:20pm Yosuke:**
> 
> hly st i was tkin skytree n toyoko 2 shibuya n thn swhing 2 den-entoshi. ur a lifesvr n im sving ur num
> 
>  
> 
> **6:23pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Yeah, that’s probably the worst way you could have possibly gotten across town. Also, what are you saving me as?_
> 
>  
> 
> **6:25pm Yosuke:**
> 
> ok wll it ws my frst day i probs wuld hve figrd it out w/o u evntully. also ur name is nw directions dude i hpe ur hppy.
> 
>  
> 
> **6:26pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well I’m still glad to have helped. Also yes, I guess that is a fitting name. I’m going to save your number too._
> 
>  
> 
> **6:26pm Yosuke:**
> 
> as wht????
> 
>  
> 
> **6:27pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Probably Lost in Tokyo_
> 
>  
> 
> **6:27pm Yosuke:**
> 
> wll its nt wrng
> 
>  
> 
> **6:28pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Don’t you have a job you should be asking someone about?_
> 
>  
> 
> **6:28pm Yosuke:**
> 
> OSHITYEA. hey u no leblanc?
> 
>  
> 
> **6:29pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _No?_
> 
>  
> 
> **6:30pm Yosuke:**
> 
> nvm. ttyl
> 
>  

Yosuke closed out of his messages with the stranger and switched over to a new number, this time double and triple checking in order to avoid his previous mistake. Deciding that typing out the message again would be too much, he went back to his and the strangers conversation and copy pasted the first message.

 

> **6:35pm Yosuke:**
> 
> Hey Sojiro. It’s that one kid you let sleep in your attic a few days back. I was curious about that job offer? Turns out my landlord doesn’t know how much a single yen is worth.
> 
>  

The phone turned off after about 3 minutes of blank staring, after which Yosuke decided to plug his phone in and get started on his first day of ruthless studying. Sojiro was probably still working the cafe, too busy to check his phone.

Grabbing his mp3 player, his headphones, and his over-the-shoulder book bag, he plopped himself down at his new rotting wooden desk, turned on the dull lamp, pulled out his notebooks, and got to work. English. The only subject he had become decent at during his last year of high school, and probably the only subject that carried him through his entrance exams. The homework was easy, at least until English started being English and why were there three different ways to say ‘there’? He struggled for five minutes in a half-hearted attempt to find the answer until he got frustrated and turn to his phone instead.

 

> **7:46pm Yosuke:**
> 
> hy u sem prtty smrt do u no anythng abt englsh??
> 
>  

There was no way the stranger did, but it was worth a shot. At this point, he was so fed up with everything he was willing to try anything. He set his phone down, not expecting an answer, and turned back to his paper when he suddenly heard a buzz.

 

> **7:50pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Yes, actually, I lived in the States for a few months so I picked up on some._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:51pm Yosuke:**
> 
> DOOD thts lik, my drem rght thre. anywys do u no the diffrence bween there their n they’re??
> 
>  
> 
> **7:53pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _There is referring to a location, their is referring to a person’s possessions, and they’re is referring to a person’s action. Think, if you can replace it with ‘they are’ then it’s they’re, if you can replace it with the person’s name it’s their, and anything else is there._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:54pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yea i gtta keep u arnd u no evrythng ur lik a god dood
> 
>  
> 
> **7:54pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Is English your major?_
> 
>  
> 
> **7:55pm Yosuke:**
> 
> o no jst sme classes im tking on the side. i migt go 4 a degree in it tho. idk
> 
>  
> 
> **7:56pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well then, what is your major?_
> 
>  
> 
> **7:56pm Yosuke:**
> 
> y?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:57pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _No real reason, just curious._
> 
>  
> 
> _Sorry if I'm being weird. You don't have to respond if you feel uncomfortable._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:57pm Yosuke:**
> 
> ok i guss bt u gtta tell me urs
> 
>  
> 
> **7:57pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Fair enough. I’m in Law School._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:58pm Yosuke:**
> 
> o of corse u r. my major is in music composition n music theory
> 
>  
> 
> **7:58pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _What’s that supposed to mean?_
> 
>  
> 
> **7:58pm Yosuke:**
> 
> ??
> 
>  
> 
> **7:58pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _‘o of corse u r’_
> 
>  
> 
> **8:00pm Yosuke:**
> 
> o i thot u mnt lik whats music composition n i was worid 4 a sec. bt i mean lik u jst sem lik a smrt dood so of corse ur tking smrt dood classes i dint mean anythng bad by it jst it sems lik smtng ud be into
> 
>  
> 
> **8:02pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Sorry, I didn’t think you meant anything bad by it. Tone is hard to portray through text. I guess I was just a bit confused as to why it seems like a class I’d be into, but I presume my texting style is more formal than it is not. It’s habit more by now than anything._
> 
>  
> 
> **8:03pm Yosuke:**
> 
> wow were lik exct oposites lik u txt all nicly n i txt lik this n ur takin smrt dood class n im not lol. bt yea gus u hve a gud frst imprssin
> 
>  
> 
> **8:04pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Hum? Music theory and composition are two subjects I wouldn’t be able to grasp if given the opportunity. But, I wish I could. I wouldn’t put Law classes over Music classes. In fact, Law School actually really kind of stinks. As for my first impression, I’m glad you think so. Yours isn’t so bad yourself._
> 
>  
> 
> **8:05pm Yosuke:**
> 
> lol u use all smrt ppl tlk n stuff n thn thrw a ‘kind of stinks’ in there. bt dnt u lik law school i men u shldnt stdy smthng u dnt lik. n ay thx
> 
>  
> 
> **8:06pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, I can’t put a ton of thought into everything I say. And, no, actually. Law School certainly was not my first choice, my parents forced me into it. I actually wanted to study Quantum Theory and the Paranormal._
> 
> **8:07pm Yosuke:**
> 
> ??? dnt let ur prnts contrl wht u do
> 
>  
> 
> **8:08pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I honestly don’t mind Law School, yes it can be boring but it’s also very fascinating at times. Plus, I don’t want to dump my emotional strife onto a person who I just met._

 

Yosuke knew his next words were important, here was the chance to make an actual _friend_ , even if it was just over text.

 

> **8:09pm Yosuke:**
> 
> dood dnt wrry. thts the good prt abt being strngers. we dnt no ech othr n dnt hve 2 c ech othr evry day or anytng so if its rlly tht bad i cn jst delte ur contct or whtevr, feel free 2 dump it all on me, i cnt rlly jdge.

 

Well, at least it’s a start.

 

> **8:11pm: Directions Dude:**
> 
> _You make a good point, I’ll be sure to take it if the time ever comes. Feel free to dump anything on me too, honestly._
> 
>  
> 
> _I feel like this could be the start of a good friendship. Sorry if this is weird, but I kind of want to get to know you better, stranger to stranger._

 

Yosuke let out the breath he had been holding.

 

> **8:12pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yea sme hre. i gtta get bck 2 hw now tho. ill txt u l8r.
> 
>  
> 
> **8:12pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Alright, if you have any more questions about English don’t be afraid to ask._

 

But, instead of working on homework, Yosuke spent the last few hours of the day thinking more about his new friend then he should have. What were they like? What was their taste in music? Where were they? Who exactly were they? He a picture in his mind of someone he’d never met. They were a girl with short black hair and nerdy glasses. A little pudgy but with a nice chest and a nice… ok yeah, he had to stop. It's not even like he knew if this person was a man or a woman, what if they turned out to be a dude all along? Was it even appropriate to crush on someone you technically never even met or was he just that desperate?

Yosuke picked up his pencil and went back to homework, letting the thought drop, at least until his phone buzzed again.

Excited, his quickly checked his phone, only to realize it was just Sojiro.

 

> **9:06pm Unknown Sender:**
> 
> _Hi Yosuke. Yes the job offer is still available, swing by whenever to talk about it._
> 
>  
> 
> **9:06pm Yosuke:**
> 
> Ok b by tomrw

 

He saved the number as ‘Sojiro’ and once again picked up the pencil, determined to be done by midnight.

 

~~~~

 

11:53. At least it was before midnight, but he was hungry. Deciding it was too late to go out, he went to the fridge to see if he had any even remotely appetizing. Cheese. He checked the cupboard. Chips. He checked the microwave. Working, despite the horrific outward appearance of the thing.

Microwavable nachos. Good enough.

With cheese covering every square inch of the most likely out-of-date corn chips and the microwave going for a minute, he threw himself down the futon, fully aware he wouldn’t have the time to get comfortable before the microwave went off. Still, he picked up his phone and scrolled down to the familiar contact. The microwave sounded soon after, but he ignored it. Stale, probably radioactive nachos could wait a minute.

 

> ** ~April 9th 2013~ **
> 
> **12:03am Yosuke:**
> 
> Hey Partner, ws 2day ur 1st day of uni 2? it ws mine, wnt alrght. clss ws esy bt hmewrk ws kinda dificlt. gud thng i mde a new frnd ovr txt. i guss we tchnclly dnt no ech othr bt i thnk thts wht mkes it gud. no comitmnt jst txt. still mis u tho. i also gt a job awy frm junes thnk god. anywys hpe ur gud.
> 
>  
> 
> Sent
> 
>  
> 
> _(Message failed to send. Hold to retry)_

 

He stood up and walked over to the microwave, grabbing the burned nachos. Turns out a minute was too long, not that they would be any better without the crusty cheese and slightly charred edges. Still, any type of food was too good to pass up at this point so he finished off the plate before hopping into bed and turning off the one light in his apartment.

Red, orange, yellow, blue. Red, orange, yellow, blue. The colors that blinked outside of his window were beginning to become a certain comfort, and he counted the cycles until his eyelids felt heavy. Maybe this whole messed up thing called ‘being an adult’ wouldn’t be all that bad.

He made a mental note to go grocery shopping tomorrow before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the support! And sorry about the late post, I went to go see Love, Simon today and I mean cheesy gay love stories are kinda my thing so of course I freaking loved it. Also, I just wanna say, I actually don't live in Tokyo (surprise, surprise) so I'm sorry if I got the names of the subway lines wrong or if stuff is a little off, researching these things at 2am probably isn't the best idea.  
> Anyways, as always, feedback is welcome and thanks for reading so far! :D
> 
> Quick edit: So I figured since Yosuke likes American music here, I should make a playlist on Spotify. It's the music I'd expect him to listen to around this time (who knows maybe some songs might make some appearances ;) ). It's also a collaborative playlist, since I'd love to see what you guys think Yosuke would listen to (I might change this, but I do have a private backup if it gets insane). Also, I'm aware not all the songs are exactly time period appropriate, but this is more about the feels than the music (at least right now it is). Some of the songs on there are ironic jokes because I like to be listening to something super serious and then suddenly "I'm Gay" by Bowling for Soup starts playing and I mean come on, Yosuke is gay. Oh and, completely honest, the stuff on the list that comes from me is a lot of the personal stuff I listen to so I may be a bit biased towards what's there right now. So, yeah! [Here's the list.](https://open.spotify.com/user/gn5v5xtk45ppfas3i6e7rlvu4/playlist/1IQHbgZqhwDc3jab6kVguB?si=yRrzjTYcSxyBVdfLuBuNJw)  
> (Hope you enjoy!)


	4. Just a Good Morning and a Good Night

If the sun shining through his window was any indication, then Yosuke was extremely late for his 6am class. But hey, it was just Japanese History, not like he needed that to make music. Plus, it was just his second day, the teacher could cut him some slack. Right? He rolled over to face the alarm on his phone.

_ Alarm Missed: gt the fck up | Time elapsed: 144 minutes _

7:24am. If he rushed he could make his 8:40 class. So he rolled out of bed and into a clean pair of sweatpants and an old band tee, ran a comb through his hair before placing his headphones in their usual spot, and quickly brushed his teeth. The door was halfway open and his foot was halfway out it when Yosuke realized he had to stop for what was practically a job interview right after class. One slammed door and an eye-roll later and he had on a decent pair of jeans in place of the grungy old sweatpants. The apartment was still vacant by 7:35.

He made it to the station and checked the time tables. With Directions Dude’s help from yesterday, he would make it literally just on time if he ran from Komazawa to his class, he just had to pray he was still half as fit as he was during the whole TV world extravaganza. 

Still, the 50 minute train ride squished in between smelly business people and other zombie-like college students was rather boring and uncomfortable. He had forgotten how odd it was to make eye contact with someone else who obviously didn’t want to be talked to. Or looked at. Or within a 100-mile radius of another human being. 

With that, he took out his phone and threw on his headphones, finally swiping away the alarm notification and almost subconsciously swiping away the text notification he must have missed when he woke up. 

 

> **~April 10th 2013~**
> 
> **6:04am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ Good morning! Not sure how early you get up for your classes today, but I just woke up so thought I’d say something. I might not respond immediately if I’m in the middle of class, sorry about that. _
> 
>  
> 
> **7:47am Yosuke:**
> 
> yo u 2, lke mrning n stff. n dnt swet it i mght nt rspnd imidiatly 2 if im in the mddle of smthin.

 

He thought for a second and then tagged on:

 

> also thx 4 ur drectins erlier i shuld gt up at 5 2day bt mised my frst clss lol. bc of u tho i mght mke it 2 my snd clss on tme woo
> 
>  

His phone went back in his pocket and his head went up against the cold window behind him as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to be taken away in his music. 

It wasn’t always like this. In fact, for the first few years he had them, his headphones were mainly just for escaping from his friends whenever they left him to do something he didn’t want to do or, in the later half of ‘few years’, getting him hyped up and focused enough to fight monsters. It wasn’t until his friend left for the first time that he realized just how much he loved music. It was something to smile to, something to cry to, something to just  _ feel  _ to, as cheesy as the sounds. And then one day he was browsing an online chat form and someone introduced him to music from America. It was like a whole new world was opened up to him. At first he didn’t understand the lyrics, but there was just so much variety, so much emotion behind every instrument and every vocal. Not that he didn’t like Japanese music, but America’s music was just so much more  _ diverse. _ He didn’t even think about what the lyics actually meant until his friend came back for Golden Week, the very last time he saw him in person. 

 

Yosuke wasn’t proud of his obsession over English music, in fact it was pretty embarrassing, to the point where he liked to keep it to himself, even from his closest friends. Yu was no exception until that night.

 

_ “What do you listen to anyways? You seem to be wearing those headphones a lot more now than anytime in the past, at least since I was here,” Yu was looking down at Yosuke from the couch, his arms crossed with a curious expression on his face. _

_ Yosuke propped himself up with his elbows from where he was laying on the floor of his cluttered bedroom, he took his still shiny orange headphones halfway off, exposing one ear. “Huh?” _

_ Yu just rolled his eyes and crawled over to Yosuke, who tried hard to convince himself he wasn’t blushing harder and harder as Yu got closer and closer to him. He sat down next to the hopefully-not-blushing boy and asked again. “You’re listening to a lot more music lately. I was just wondering what you were listening to.” _

_ “Oh, uh, it’s stupid. Don’t worry about it,” He pressed pause on his MP3 Player and brought the headphones back down to his neck. _

_ Yu frowned. “But I wanna know.” _

_ “You’ll laugh.” _

_ “You know me better than that.” _

_ “It’s nothing important.” _

_ “But you enjoy it, so it is.” _

_ “But-” Yosuke tried to think of something, but Yu had him beat. “F-fine. You win. It’s mainly American stuff, I don’t even understand the lyrics-” _

_ Yu smiled. “Really? I’ve been studying English. My parents are thinking about taking a trip to the States soon, so I wanted to learn some before we get there,” he thought for a moment. “Mind if I try translating some lyrics for you? It would be good practice.” _

_ Yosuke was dumbstruck, he tried telling the same thing to Chie once, she just laughed and poked fun at him for like, a whole week. So he just nodded and handed over the MP3. It was in the middle of a song, but whatever. _

_ Yosuke watched Yu slide the familiar headphones over his head, grab a pad of paper and a pencil, and press play. He paused the song every few seconds and scribbled down a few words, sometimes subconsciously chewing on the eraser, a thing Yosuke noticed he does when he’s thinking. Yu with Yosuke’s headphones and the whole thinking face, well Yosuke didn’t want to say it was  _ cute, _ but it was nice. _

_ After a few minutes of on and off listening, rewinding, and writing, Yu handed Yosuke the MP3 player and the pad of paper. “I’m not fluent or anything, so I didn’t get it all, but I got a few lines.” _

_ Yosuke looked down at the paper, skimming the half-finished lyrics before nodding and putting the notebook aside. “Cool cool.” _

 

_ It wasn’t until Yu left later that night that Yosuke actually took a look at the half translated lyrics while listening to the song on repeat. _

 

   I'm quiet ---

   Yu make a first ---

   I think I'm scared to know I'm --- on your brain

   ---  the best fall down a time

   --- the stars don’t want to shine

   Out of --- you fall in space

   I --- know that

   Yu and I fit

 

_ Even with parts missing, Yosuke could tell the song was more romantic than he originally thought, but there was just something about it. Something… nice. Nice in the same way that Yu wearing his headphones and scribbling down lyrics was nice. Out of curiosity, Yosuke decided to actually look up the lyrics. Sure enough, Yu was off in some places and the song did make more sense with the missing parts filled in, but the lyrics, they were… sweet. No, relaxing. Calming? There was just something about them, something more than nice. Soon enough, Yosuke had memorized the whole song in Japanese and even recited his own translated cover in his head. _

 

_ After he found out Yu couldn’t visit anymore he translated every song on his playlist. _

_ After Yu went missing he decided he would learn English, so the next time they saw each other Yosuke could translate the songs. _

_ By the time he realized Yu wasn’t coming back, English was the only class he actually enjoyed at school. _

 

And that all lead him to where he is now: on the train missing his first class and listening to an evolved version of that same playlist, just replacing the MP3 Player with his phone, which just buzzed in his pocket.

 

> **~April 10th 2013~**
> 
> **7:52am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ Haha, good to know my directions went to good use. How’s the trip so far? _
> 
>  
> 
> **7:53am Yosuke:**
> 
> gud, jst borng. i frgot how paked these thngs r in the mrning
> 
>  
> 
> **7:53am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ Yeah they can get pretty busy, it is Tokyo after all. Also, you forgot? So you’ve lived in Tokyo before? _
> 
>  
> 
> **7:54am Yosuke:**
> 
> jst mst of my chldhood
> 
>  
> 
> **7:55am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ And you still don’t know how to read a subway map? _
> 
>  
> 
> **7:55am Yosuke:**
> 
> thts a drect attk
> 
>  
> 
> **7:56am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ Haha, well, living in the big city most of your life and somehow not gaining the ability to read a subway map is an accomplishment in itself.  _
> 
>  
> 
> **7:56am Yosuke:**
> 
> -.-
> 
>  
> 
> **7:56 Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ Hey now don’t give me that, it was a compliment. _
> 
>  
> 
> **7:57am Yosuke:**
> 
> sherrrrrrr
> 
>  
> 
> anywys whtre u up 2?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:58 Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ In class currently. Since it’s our first day it’s kind of a free day. _
> 
>  
> 
> **7:59 Yosuke:**
> 
> o luky u 
> 
>  
> 
> **8:00am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ Well, at least I’m in class. _
> 
>  
> 
> **8:00am Yosuke:**
> 
> T-T stap
> 
>  
> 
> **8:01am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ Alright, alright. Think you’ll make it to your next class on time? _
> 
>  
> 
> **8:02am Yosuke:**
> 
> barely. strts at 8:30 n i sll hve lik a 20 min ride 
> 
>  
> 
> **8:03am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ I’m sure your teacher won’t berate you for being a few minutes late. It’s still your first week at college. Did you even go to orientation?  _
> 
>  
> 
> **8:03am Yosuke:**
> 
> orienwutnow?
> 
>  
> 
> **8:04am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ You know, that thing most colleges do for newbies, where you go in for a day or two before school starts and they tell you stuff about the school. _
> 
>  
> 
> **8:04am Yosuke:**
> 
> no? evn if i herd abt it i lived 2 far awy b4 college
> 
>  
> 
> **8:05am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ Oh, yeah, I guess that would make sense. Anyways, I’m sure your teachers will go easy on you.  _
> 
>  
> 
> _ Shoot, I gotta get back to class. Text you later. _
> 
>  
> 
> **8:05am Yosuke:**
> 
> k
> 
>  

Yosuke smiled down at his phone before leaning his head back against the window again and closing his eyes. The coldness on the back of his head was refreshing in a way, a reminder that there was still a world going on outside of his bubble of phone-friends and music. 

_ Everyone knows I’m in over my head, over my head. _

His music blared through his headphones. A song he recognized yet barely knew the meaning of.

_ Lets rearrange, I wish you were a stranger I could disengage. Say that we agree and then never change. _

He allowed himself to forget about classes, forget about his new friend, forget about his old friend.

_ Soften a bit until we all just get along. _

It was just the music, the moving train, and the cold window behind him.

_ But that's disregard. You find another friend and you discard, as you lose the argument in a cable car, hanging above as the canyon comes between… _

 

_ ~~~ _

 

He almost completely face planted as the train came to a stop, his stop that is. Taking his headphones off, he stepped off the train and checked the time. 8:23. 7 minutes. It’s about a 15 minute walk. Time to run. 

Somehow, he managed to snake his way through all the people waiting for the train, darted up the stairs, and hissed as the bright sun burnt his eyes. It took him a second to look around before turning towards the school and sprinting for the front gate.

3 angry people, 2 trips, and one complete fall on his ass after accidentally spilling coffee on someone later, and he made it to the classroom at exactly 8:40. It somehow took him longer than if he had just walked. Still, the teacher didn’t say much after seeing how much Yosuke was panting, he just asked for him to take a seat.

So he took a seat in the very back and grabbed his phone.

 

> **8:41am Yosuke:**
> 
> mde it 10 mins late woo

 

The teacher was talking about what the class entailed and blah blah whatever, he had already looked up this entire course online, it was one of the two music-based classes he was taking this semester. And, since he obviously already knew everything, at some point he laid his head down and fell asleep. Luckily he didn’t snore. 

 

~~~

 

“Hey. Hey dude. Class is over, might wanna get up.” Yosuke awoke to someone poking his elbow with a pencil.

“Wh-uh?” He was still pretty tired.

“Unless you wanna get locked in here, Mr. Ishawasi is nice, but he won’t be afraid to leave ya here.” 

“Ugh, fine. Thanks for waking me up.” He stretched and started packing his books. A girl with short black hair stared back at him.

“No prob. Freshman?” 

Yosuke just nodded.

“Cool, cool. The first few months are difficult, but you get used to it after awhile. Anyways I gotta head out, I’ll see ya around, uh, Hanamura was it?”

“Yeah, seeya, uhh-”

The girl picked up her multiple notebooks and left the room before he could ask her about her name.

He put his headphones over his head, pressed play, flung his book bag over his shoulder, and went for the door. 

 

About halfway to the station he remembered that job offer from Sojiro. He was tempted to blow it off but his rent check and grumbling stomach convinced him otherwise so he turned around and walked in the other direction.

 

~~~

  
  


“Yo. So you did decide to show up.” Sojiro stood behind the counter wiping a coffee cup as the door jingled closed. The cafe was empty other than the two of them.

Yosuke laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, this is the only job offer I’ve got so far and I didn’t realize just how much rent was here.”

Sojiro frowned. “Your parents aren’t helping you?”

Yosuke took a seat and shrugged. “They probably would, but I was always the irresponsible kid to them so I wanna prove that I can do this myself.”

 

It wasn’t wrong, Yosuke’s dad always complained about his work ethic and all the days he took off, especially during that one year.  _ “If you worked anywhere else you’d be fired by now”, “Why are your grades so bad?”, “Son, you have to start taking more responsibility for yourself” _ . Oh, if only he knew. 

 

“Fair enough, well when can you start?” Sojiro put down the cup.

“What? No interview or application or any of that?”

“You don’t exactly seem like a delinquent and you didn’t steal anything from your little stay, at least as far as I can tell. If you’re a bad worker then I can always just fire you.”

“Uh, fair enough, I mean I guess,” Yosuke thought for a second. “I can start really anytime. I have school Tuesday to Thursday and my classes are kind of scattered, but I can work evenings every day but Thursday and-”

“How about we figure out the schedule later, for now just come in when you can and if I need any extra help I’ll let you know. If you’re not doing anything then you can start today if you’d like.”

“Hold up, how much am I getting paid?”

“I was thinking 900 yen an hour? Then again I guess it could matter on what you do that day. Well, we can talk about it later, I’m paying you out of my own pocket so it’s not like we have to make this a formal job or anything.”

“You mean like, paying me under the table?”

Sojiro shrugged, “if that’s what you wanna call it. Got something against it?”

Yosuke shot up. “Nope!”

“Great ‘cause it makes life a lot easier. So then, when can you start?”

“Well I’m not exactly busy right now and I’m here so...” Yosuke’s voice trailed off.

“So now. Perfect, there’s some dishes in the sink that need washing. You can take the old white apron by the door and get to it.” Sojiro gestured towards the sink.

Yosuke hopped up, grabbed the apron, and went to washing. 

“So how’d your first few days go? You likin’ the city so far?” Sojiro asked from the bar.

Yosuke shrugged as he wiped a dish. “Alright I guess. Same old city, just a shittier apartment.”

“Language,” Sojiro muttered.

“Er, sorry. Crappier apartment.” 

Sojiro shrugged it off. “Anyways you were talking about how you lived here before. Where’d you move to?”

“Oh, uh, it’s this small town a few hours away by train. Yasoinaba, or just Inaba. The move wasn’t exactly glamorous or anything - I lived in the city all my life before it. My dad just got a position for store manager of the ‘new and exciting Junes’ so we packed up and moved. Halfway through the school year too.”

Sojiro just nodded along, Yosuke figured he was uninterested. 

“So, what about you, got a life story?” He asked.

It seemed to catch Sojiro off guard.

“Wha- well, nothing exciting.”

“How long have you owned this cafe?”

“Only a few months.”

“Why’d ya get it?”

“Something to do in retirement.”

“What’d ya retire from.”

“Nothing important.”

“But I’m curious.”

“Just a Government job - kid look, I’d love to talk all day but it isn’t really your business.”

Yosuke shrugged. “Sorry, just curious.”

They fell into awkward silence for a few minutes, just the flow of the water and the mumble of the TV.

Yosuke finally finished washing the dishes and turned off the water, just as the door jingled open.

“Sojiro, I hunger!”

He turned around to lock eyes with the little girl who ran into him the other day.

Her mouth formed an ‘O’ shape. “It’s cool headphones dude! You work here?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Something like that.”

The door jingled open again, it was the woman, presumably the girl’s mother, out of breath and slouched over.

“Futaba, I keep telling you to not run off like that!”

“But mooooom the station is just down the street! What could happen?”

“I don’t know, but still. I don’t like you running off like that.” She took a seat at the first booth, while Futaba kneeled on a bar stool, leaning over the counter. 

“Sojiro!”

“Yeah, yeah I heard you the first time. I’ll get the curry ready.” He turned around and walked towards the stove only to stop and gesture towards Yosuke. “This is Yosuke by the way. He’s a part-timer. Yosuke this is Futaba and Wakaba Isshiki, they’re close friends of mine.”

Apparently they were already on a first name basis. He would have corrected Sojiro, but he honestly didn’t mind, it was almost refreshing after being called ‘Hanamura-san’ by everyone but his family for the past year. 

“It’s nice to properly meet you, Yosuke-san. I’m glad Sojiro’s getting some help around here, he’s been running the place alone since he got it.” Wakaba smiled. She seemed nice.

“Hey now c’mon, I’ve done a good job with this place by myself. But yeah, I suppose it’ll be nice having an extra pair of hands around.” The sound and smell of sizzling curry filled the cafe as Sojiro began cooking, Yosuke’s stomach rumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. “I’ll make extra tonight.”

Yosuke smiled, glad that his little questioning spree didn’t get him on his boss’s bad side. 

“So cool headphones dude-”

“Futaba please, he has a name.”

“- can I try your headphones sometime? Mom only ever buys me cheap earbuds.” She pouted. Wakaba looked defeated. 

Yosuke smiled and took his headphones off from around his neck. “Sure, how about now?”

Futaba smiled impossibly wide and snatched the headphones. Yosuke turned to a song that was at least somewhat child appropriate. The girl smiled and giggled. 

“These are amazing!” She yelled, probably louder than intended, Yosuke couldn’t help but smile and laugh along. 

Despite Futaba’s apparent inability to listen to her earlier, Wakaba looked content and smiled as well.

That moment could have lasted a lifetime. These were people he hardly knew, yet it just felt like home. Futaba’s laugh and smile was bringing a new sense of life to the small cafe, and suddenly it was so much more than just a small cafe. It was a new memory. It was a new home.

The moment ended when Futaba took the headphones off. “Wow! These are amazing! I gotta get a pair.” She turned to the booth behind her “Mom!”

“We’ll see, honey.” 

Futaba squealed in delightment. “Thank you headphone du- uh, Yosuke-san!”

Yosuke laughed. “Yeah, no problem.” 

Sojiro emerged from the small kitchen carrying a cup of coffee, which he placed in front of Wakaba. “Curry should be done in a few minutes.”

“Yay! Sojiro makes the BEST curry,” Futaba smiled. 

“Yeah, I had it last time I was here. It was pretty good.” 

“Pretty good? No! It’s amazing!”

Yosuke crossed his arms and cocked his head to the side. “Man, you drive a hard bargain. How about a lot better than usual?” 

Futaba mimicked him, also crossing her arms and cocking her head. “I can settle with that.”

“Then it’s a deal. Hey Boss, your curry is a lot better than usual.”

“I’m honored.” Sojiro emerged with his signature smirk on his face carrying 2 plates of curry, which he placed in front of the kids.

“Yes!” Futaba grabbed her chopsticks and dug in. Yosuke did the same as Sojiro took a seat across from Wakaba. All was good. 

 

~~~

 

> **~~April 10th 2013~~**
> 
>  
> 
> **11:08pm Yosuke:**
> 
> Hey Partner, hows ur life? mines prtty gud. met sme nce pple 2day n got a job so thts cool. also wrng no dood sems nice. clsses r well hwre urs? train rides nt bd ether. whtre u stdying u nvr rlly tld me wht u wnted 2 do? im doin english n music. rmembr tht 1 nite u trnslted tht sng. well thts why. i miss tht nite. 
> 
>  
> 
> Sent
> 
>  
> 
> _ (Message failed to send. Hold to retry) _
> 
>  

He turned his phone off and rolled over onto his pillow, the now familiar pattern of light blinking over his eyelids, the memory of the past day replaying in his head, only to be woken up by a text notification. 

His heart skipped a beat or two. Could it really be...?

 

> **11:21pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _ Hey, just wanted to say goodnight. That’s not weird right? _

 

Yosuke relaxed. It was just the wrong number dude. 

 

> **11:23pm Yosuke:**
> 
> nah. i lik hearing frm u. thts nt werd rite? anywys, im goin 2 bed 2. nite. 

 

He sat and stared at his phone until the next text came through.

 

> **11:25pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> Nope. I like hearing from you too. Night.

 

Finally, he turned off his phone and flipped over again, waiting for sleep to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Yu attempted to translate is "Collide" by Howie Day and the song Yosuke was listening to on the train is "Cable Car" by The Fray. 
> 
> Anyways, in case you missed the last update to the notes in the last chapter (fair enough since it was in the middle of the week), I figured since Yosuke likes American music here, I should make a playlist on Spotify. It's the music I'd expect him to listen to around this time. It's also a collaborative playlist, since I'd love to see what you guys think Yosuke would listen to (I might change this, but I do have a private backup if it gets insane). Also, I'm aware not all the songs are exactly time period appropriate, but this is more about the feelies than the music (at least right now it is). Some of the songs on there are ironic jokes because I like to be listening to something super serious and then suddenly "I'm Gay" by Bowling for Soup starts playing and I mean come on, Yosuke is gay. Oh and, completely honest, the stuff on the list that comes from me is a lot of the personal stuff I listen to so I may be a bit biased towards what's there right now. So, yeah! [Here's the list.](https://open.spotify.com/user/gn5v5xtk45ppfas3i6e7rlvu4/playlist/1IQHbgZqhwDc3jab6kVguB?si=yRrzjTYcSxyBVdfLuBuNJw)  
>   
> Leave feedback or kudos or a cookie or something if you enjoyed! (Leave a cookie, I could really go for a cookie right now)


	5. Just Coffee and a Burger

The next day went about as expected. Yosuke woke up around 10am, but at least this time he hadn’t missed any of his classes. The next one wasn’t until 5. The downside? It didn’t end until 7 and of course his longest class was a math class.

He decided the next 6 hours would be relaxation and study hours, so he sat down at the old creaky desk provided with the apartment, took out his book, put on his headphones, and got about one page in before his phone was out and he completely forgot about the textbook in front of him.

 

> **~April 11th 2013~**
> 
> **10:15am Yosuke:**
> 
> hy
> 
>  
> 
> whts up??
> 
>  
> 
> im bord lol
> 
>  
> 
> **10:18am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Hey PLT, what’s up?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:18am Yosuke:**
> 
> plt???
> 
>  
> 
> **10:19am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Probably Lost in Tokyo. Your name in my phone._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:19am Yosuke:**
> 
> wll thn ur dd 4 me
> 
>  
> 
> whts up dd?
> 
>  
> 
> **10:19am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _This is the sort of thanks I get for giving you directions, huh?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:20am Yosuke:**
> 
> u strted it
> 
>  
> 
> **10:20am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _True, true. Anyways, I’m not up to much. Just studying._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:21am Yosuke:**
> 
> o cool same
> 
>  
> 
> **10:22am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _If you’re studying then why did you text me?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:22am Yosuke:**
> 
> if ur studyig thn whyd u rspnd?
> 
>  
> 
> **10:22am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Because I’m almost done studying for now._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:23am Yosuke:**
> 
> fair pnt. whtre u doin 4 the rst of 2day?
> 
>  
> 
> **10:24am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Shopping, then cooking lunch, maybe more studying, I don’t have a class today so probably cooking dinner. Nothing grand._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:24am Yosuke:**
> 
> wll thts boring
> 
>  
> 
> **10:25am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Why? What are your great plans?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:25am Yosuke:**
> 
> wll i ws gnna stdy until clss bt nw i thnk im goin out thx 2 u
> 
>  
> 
> **10:26am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Oh. Well still, be sure to study enough._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:26am Yosuke:**
> 
> yea yea
> 
>  
> 
> u shld go out 2. u said u hve no clsses 2day so
> 
>  
> 
> **10:27am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I am. Shopping._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:28am Yosuke:**
> 
> bt thts boring
> 
>  
> 
> **10:28am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _It’s exciting enough for me._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:29am Yosuke:**
> 
> suit urself im levin rght nw

 

It was true. Yosuke packed his school bag and was out the door, his mind on Shibuya.

 

> **10:30am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Same. To shop._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:31am Yosuke:**
> 
> alrght hve fun

 

He was on the train with his headphones on when he got the next text.

 

> **10:43am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Chicken, fish, or tofu?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:44am Yosuke:**
> 
> chikn duh
> 
>  
> 
> y?
> 
>  
> 
> **10:45am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Dinner, duh._
> 
>  
> 
> _Why?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:45am Yosuke:**
> 
> -.-
> 
>  
> 
> n bcse fish n tofu suck
> 
>  
> 
> bt u rlly cook huh?

 

He waited a few minutes before getting the next text.

 

> **10:48am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Yeah. It’s more of a hobby, I cooked for myself a lot when I was younger so I got used it. Glad I did, there aren’t many restaurants around me now._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:48am Yosuke:**
> 
> parnts wernt chefs huh lol
> 
>  
> 
> **10:50am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _More like weren’t around._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:52am Yosuke:**
> 
> o
> 
>  
> 
> srry
> 
>  
> 
> bt same here. excpt no awsme cookin sklls
> 
>  
> 
> **10:55am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Yeah. Picked it up a lot as a teenager, thought it was fun and my friends enjoyed it._
> 
> _Anyways, chicken. I’ll be sure to pick some up once I get there._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:57am Yosuke:**
> 
> u bttr nt b txtin n drvin
> 
>  
> 
> **10:59am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Correct, I am stopping at red lights and texting._
> 
>  
> 
> **11:00am Yosuke:**
> 
> -.-

 

“Next stop Shibuya”

Yosuke took his headphones off as the train slowed down and he stepped off soon after.

 

He found himself wandering around the underground mall and then back to the main strip. Once there, he decided on a beef bowl for lunch, which again reminded him of Chie. What could she be up to? He hoped the Police Academy was treating her nicely. The last night she was in Inaba seemed rough on her. Well ‘rough’ probably wasn’t the right word, ‘weird’ was probably more appropriate. But he didn’t want to think about it. So, he hurriedly finished his beef bowl and left the restaurant, making his way back onto the main strip.

As he wandered he realized something. The city just seemed off ever since he had first arrived, like it wasn’t as grand as it has once been. No, it wasn’t that the city itself had gotten worse, but the arcade wasn’t nearly as inviting, none of the movies looked good, books and video games were too expensive, and people were running into him every three seconds. What ever happened to the awe-striking lights? Or the amazingly tall buildings? Maybe it wasn’t the city at all, maybe it was Yosuke.

He put his headphones on and walked around, kicking rocks and listening to the music, finding his way down alleys his parents would tell him to never explore, all the way to places he always went to as a kid, but other than a small sense of nostalgia, there was nothing. It was frustrating, remembering how fun this all used to be, the aura of unending exploration that used to follow him, remembering how he wanted to grow up just so he could explore more. But, if this was growing up, then he wished he could take it all back.

About an hour of walking later and he couldn’t take it anymore. He found himself back on a train, heading towards LeBlanc, the one place in the city he actually wanted to be at right now.

 

~~~

 

Sojiro was leaning over the counter reading the newspaper when Yosuke walked in.

“Yo.” As if Sojiro was expecting Yosuke to show up, he slid a cup of coffee down the bar where Yosuke wasn’t expecting it, but in a frantic movement, which included dropping his bag and flailing around, he managed to catch the steaming hot cup before it fell to its doom. He finished taking his bag off and took a sip. It was sweet with a certain nutty flavor to it.

“Mm, wow, this is good.” Yosuke took another sip.

“Glad you like it, grab a apron and I’ll show you how to make it.”

Yosuke finished off the coffee and set it down on the table with a satisfied noise. “Really?”

“Well I told you I’d teach you how to make a decent cup of coffee.”

Yosuke shrugged. “Alright.” He walked over, grabbing a green apron and throwing it over his head in the process.

“Let me explain…” Sojiro started to describe in great detail how he made his coffee while Yosuke listened intently.

 

About 20 or so minutes later, Yosuke had his first brew of Cuban Crystal Mountain coffee and two cups sat in front of him and Sojiro.

Yosuke picked up his cup and held it out to other man. “Cheers.”

Sojiro was confused for a second before bringing his own cup up and clinking it to Yosuke’s. “Cheers.”

And then they both took a sip.

“Mm, man this is great. Thanks Boss!” Yosuke looked over only to have his expression fall at Sojiro’s inquisitive look.

“Well, it’s alright, a little bland but I’m sure it’ll improve with time.”

A little bland? This was probably the most flavorful pot of coffee Yosuke’s ever made! Well, this was the only pot of coffee Yosuke’s ever made, but still, it was good. “Hey! What’re you talking about, this is amazing!”

Sojiro just shrugged and smirked. “There are some dishes in the sink, would ya’ mind?”

“Wha- bu- I-” Yosuke slumped down, slightly defeated. “Alright, alright.”

He put on the dirty white apron and his headphones, making his way to the sink. Taking out his phone to start his music he noticed a missed message from Directions Dude.

 

> **1:26pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _(It’s a picture of ramen, but not the instant ramen or anything like that, gourmet ramen with an egg and all different types of vegetables.)_

 

The picture made Yosuke’s mouth water, this dude really was a chef. It almost reminded him of… of high school. Yeah, just high school, nothing else.

 

> **1:33pm Yosuke:**
> 
> dmn dood tht looks amzing. i wnt sme lol
> 
>  
> 
> **1:33pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I’d give you some if I could. Anyways, how’s your day out going?_
> 
>  
> 
> **1:34pm Yosuke:**
> 
> gud

 

No it wasn’t.

 

> **1:34pm Yosuke:**
> 
> bad
> 
>  
> 
> **1:34pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well is it good or is it bad? You’re sending conflicting messages here._
> 
>  
> 
> **1:35pm Yosuke:**
> 
> bad…
> 
>  
> 
> **1:35pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Why? Something happen?_

 

“Kid, look, I know I’ve been pretty relaxed with stuff around here but that doesn’t mean I can just pay you to sit around on your phone.” Yosuke jumped, that’s right, he’s at work.

“Sorry, Boss.”

 

> **1:36pm Yosuke:**
> 
> sry gotta go 4 nw, tlk abt it l8r?
> 
>  
> 
> **1:36pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Alright…_

 

And with that, Yosuke set his phone down, started his music, and got to washing.

 

~~~

 

The next few hours were about as uneventful as they get, 3 or so customers walked in and out, Yosuke poured out the rest of his apparently failed coffee, and the TV was droning on about some “massive new yet secretive discovery about the human cognition” or whatever. Not that Yosuke wasn’t listening to snippets and bits here and there, the whole cognition thing somewhat interested him ever since the whole TV world incident, but he and the rest of the group had learned to live without answers so at this point he could take it or leave it.

_“So then, where does the whole ‘secretive’ part stem from?”_

_“No one’s sure if this new research is legitimate or not. Apparently the researcher who found this new data requests to be kept completely anonymous, because of this…”_

Sojiro’s voice cut Yosuke out of his TV trance. “Hey kid, when did you say your next class started again?”

Yosuke looked at his phone and sighed. “Shi- uh- shoot, yeah I gotta get going.”

He took off the apron he was wearing, flung his bag over his shoulder, waved goodbye, and was out the door.

His phone buzzed pretty much as soon as he stepped foot onto the street, so he checked it and continued walking, not wanting to miss a message but also not wanting to miss class.

 

> **4:52pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _(Another food photo, this time of some sort of fancy chicken dish that Yosuke didn’t quite recognize)_

 

It made Yosuke’s stomach rumble, and that’s when he realized he forgot to ask Sojiro about the curry.

 

> **4:53 Yosuke:**
> 
> dood ur strvin me ovr hre
> 
>  
> 
> **4:54 Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well then get something to eat._
> 
>  
> 
> **4:54pm Yosuke:**
> 
> nah gnna b l8 2 clss. plus nthin hre is gnna b as gud as tht i no it
> 
>  
> 
> **4:54pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _It looks good but I’m sure you could find better in the city. But good luck with class and all of that._
> 
>  
> 
> **4:55pm Yosuke:**
> 
> nthin i culd affrd lol. bt nw im tmptd 2 skip clss n get fud, i hvnt etn all dy
> 
>  
> 
> **4:55pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well you should definitely get something to eat, but you should also go to class._
> 
>  
> 
> **4:55pm Yosuke:**
> 
> thx ur hlpful  liauvfbahnbdfsefgag

 

_BANG THUNK._

 

It took him a second to realize that he had just tripped over a trash can while not paying attention. At least he wasn’t stuck this time, just scraped his elbow a little bit.

He got back up and looked around to make sure no one else had just seen his ultimate failure, thankfully, he was alone.

 

> **4:56pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Huh? You ok?_
> 
>  
> 
> **4:57pm Yosuke:**
> 
> uhhh yea
> 
>  
> 
> **4:57pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _.... You sure?_
> 
>  
> 
> **4:57pm Yosuke:**
> 
> i totly did nt jst trip ovr a trshcn
> 
>  
> 
> **4:58pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Nice. If you have to get to class then just get to class and text me later, and look out for trash cans._
> 
>  
> 
> **5:58pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yea yea ok txt u l8r.

 

It certainly wasn’t the first time someone told him to look out for trash cans.

 

~~~

 

Class was boring, and thus Yosuke decided to do the only thing that could possibly keep him awake.

 

> **5:07pm Yosuke:**
> 
> clss is borng
> 
>  
> 
> **5:09pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _It’s only been seven minutes?_
> 
>  
> 
> **5:09pm Yosuke:**
> 
> ur nt gnna tll me 2 put dwn my phne n lrn?
> 
>  
> 
> **5:09pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, no. Why would I do that? I’m on my phone in class all the time._
> 
>  
> 
> **5:10pm Yosuke:**
> 
> idk ur lik the mom frnd so i fgurd
> 
>  
> 
> **5:11pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _What’s that supposed to mean?_
> 
>  
> 
> **5:11pm Yosuke:**
> 
> lik if u were here u’ed be all ‘no kids dnt thrw fud n also wsh ur hnds and do gud in schol’
> 
>  
> 
> **5:12pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, I want to be a good role model for children sure, but you’re an adult._
> 
>  
> 
> _Plus if you didn’t text me during school that’d be a whole chunk of my day that I couldn’t text you._
> 
>  
> 
> **5:12pm Yosuke:**
> 
> fir pnt, bt am i rlly an adlt??
> 
>  
> 
> **5:12pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _From what you’ve told me, yes, you are. If being on your phone in class is a mistake, then you will learn accordingly._
> 
>  
> 
> **5:13pm Yosuke:**
> 
> SHT WHTS AN IVERSE FUNTION I NED HLP???
> 
>  
> 
> **5:13pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _The mirror image of a given function._
> 
>  
> 
> **5:15pm Yosuke:**
> 
> thx
> 
>  
> 
> **5:16pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Weren’t listening to the lecture and got asked a question?_
> 
>  
> 
> **5:16pm Yosuke:**
> 
> hw did u no???
> 
>  
> 
> **5:17pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, guess that made my point. Being on your phone and not listening was a mistake so now you’re going to…?_
> 
>  
> 
> **5:17pm Yosuke:**
> 
> put up a txt book 2 hid my fce so tech dsnt call on me
> 
>  
> 
> **5:17pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _No, that’s not at all what I meant._
> 
>  
> 
> **5:17pm Yosuke:**
> 
> 2 bd its wht im doing
> 
>  
> 
> **5:18pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _...well you are an adult._
> 
> **6:20pm Yosuke:**
> 
> :P
> 
>  
> 
> **5:21pm Yosuke:**
> 
> hllloooooo?????
> 
>  
> 
> **5:23pm Yosuke:**
> 
> nu pls dnt lve me bord n alone
> 
>  
> 
> ;-;
> 
>  
> 
> **5:25pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Sorry, cleaning up dinner. How’s that class going?_
> 
>  
> 
> **5:25pm Yosuke:**
> 
> stll boring
> 
>  
> 
> **5:26pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well at least you didn’t walk into a trash can_
> 
> _Oh wait_
> 
>  
> 
> **5:27pm Yosuke:**
> 
> HEY

 

Class went on with them talking about nothing while Yosuke completely ignored the lecture and left retaining absolutely no new information, other than what color Direction Dude’s socks were. Grey, by the way.

 

~~~

 

> **7:00pm Yosuke:**
> 
> CLSS IS OUT WOO
> 
>  
> 
> **7:00pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Woo! Now get some food._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:01pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yea yea i no
> 
>  
> 
> hy u said u lived arnd hre b4, any sugestins?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:01pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _You mean around Shibuya?_
> 
>  
> 
> **7:02pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yea
> 
>  
> 
> **7:03pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, I’ll admit Big Bang Burger’s pretty good._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:03pm Yosuke:**
> 
> bt thos r evrywhre
> 
>  
> 
> **7:05pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _There’s this little diner near the main strip, they have some pretty good steak._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:05pm Yosuke:**
> 
> o yea ive ben thre
> 
>  
> 
> **7:06pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I mean, there’s this one place in the Red Light District but you shouldn’t go there this time of night._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:06pm Youske:**
> 
> rlly dnt no any othr plces?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:07pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _What can I say? I didn’t go out much during my childhood._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:07pm Yosuke:**
> 
> evn in the city???
> 
>  
> 
> **7:08pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _My parents didn’t let me go out much, even when they were home. Not that I really wanted to anyways, I honestly never really cared for the city._
> 
> **7:09pm Yosuke:**
> 
> wll thts bcase u didnt go out!!
> 
>  
> 
> the citys gr8, thres lik arcades n movies n stores n buildings n lights!
> 
>  
> 
> **7:10pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Sounds like you really enjoy it._

 

Yosuke’s mood took a turn, remembering his experience from earlier.

 

> **7:11pm Yosuke:**
> 
> i mean yea…
> 
>  
> 
> bt actuly rmbr earlir? whn i said my dy out ws bad?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:12pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Of course, I was actually planning on asking you about that._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:13pm Yosuke:**
> 
> i dnt no if i lik the city anymre. i rlly liked it as a kid bt… i dnt no
> 
>  
> 
> i relizd wlking arnd 2day tht its boring now. lik im nt as ecited abt it as i ws whn i ws a kid
> 
>  
> 
> n it stnks cuz i wnna enjy it lik thts why im hre
> 
>  
> 
> **7:15pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Maybe you’re just trying the wrong things._
> 
> _I’m not really one to talk, but I think the city can be great for a lot of reasons. Everything’s just a little bit… more as a kid, it’s easier to just get caught up in everything. It might take a little more effort, but maybe you can find something else that you love about the city?_
> 
> _Maybe the people there or maybe just the fact it’s where you grew up?_
> 
>  
> 
> _And if you can’t rekindle that love then, well, maybe the city just isn’t for you anymore._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:18pm Yosuke:**
> 
> wow poetc. bt yea. ur rght i thnk.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:19pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _You know, you should probably think about it over dinner._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:19 Yosuke:**
> 
> u askin me out? :3
> 
>  
> 
> **7:19pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _What? No, I’m reminding you to get food._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:20pm Yosuke:**
> 
> o yea, rite
> 
>  
> 
> imma go do tht

 

Sure enough, Yosuke found himself at Big Bang Burger anyways and, just as Directions Dude had said, they were pretty good, even if Yosuke had the same burger ten million times before. Although, eating in the store probably wasn’t the best idea, there was the dude next to him shoving this giant burger into his mouth and half the restaurant was shouting “One more bite! One more bite!”. It was kind of amazing in it’s own way but was also kind of disgusting. Pretty much the whole place went up in applause as the dude finished the burger and then ran off to the bathroom, seemingly to un-eat the burger.

 

> **8:15pm Yosuke:**
> 
> dood did u no big bng brgr has sme sort of gint brgr thing??
> 
>  
> 
> **8:17pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _You mean the Big Bang Burger Challenge? Yeah. I’ve tried it before._
> 
>  
> 
> **8:17pm Yosuke:**
> 
> U HVE??
> 
>  
> 
> **8:18pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Yup, I actually finished all the ranks._
> 
>  
> 
> **8:18pm Yosuke:**
> 
> dood wht the hll
> 
>  
> 
> **8:19pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Timed eating competitions are kind of my thing, once I finished this giant beef bowl too._
> 
>  
> 
> **8:19pm Yosuke:**  
>  id b lying if i said i wsnt amzd
> 
>  
> 
> **8:20pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Honestly, some of my greatest achievements._
> 
>  
> 
> **8:21pm Yosuke:**
> 
> sher. nw u no i gtta do it, rite?
> 
>  
> 
> **8:21pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Good luck._

 

Yosuke looked up at the menu. 500 yen since it was late in the day and the burger didn’t look THAT big.

 

> **8:22pm Yosuke:**
> 
> imma do it rite nw
> 
>  
> 
> **8:22pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Didn’t you just eat?_
> 
>  
> 
> **8:23pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yup
> 
>  
> 
> **8:23pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Oh jeez._

 

Yosuke walked up to the counter. “One Big Bang Burger Challenge please.”

The girl behind the counter gave him a look like he was crazy, but then went over the rules and took his 500 yen.

About 5 minutes later, Yosuke was regretting his decision as they brought out the biggest burger he’s ever seen. The dude before him must have been about halfway done when Yosuke first entered the place.

 

> **8:38pm Yosuke:**
> 
> o sht its hre
> 
>  
> 
> **8:38pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Chug, chug, chug._

 

“Your time starts… now!”

Yosuke began shoveling mouthfuls of burger into his mouth while everyone in the fast food joint cheered him on. About halfway through it hit him how ridiculous this whole thing was, but he was already in this deep so there was no backing out now.

The burger may be a giant mountain of meat, lettuce, and bun, but if he believed in himself and if there was some sort of burger God looking down on him today then maybe he could…

“Time’s up.”

Yosuke shoveled the last bit of tomato into his mouth.

“I… guess I can count that,” the entire place exploded in applause for the second time that evening. “And here is your prize!”

Yosuke looked down at what the girl had given him. A keychain and a 50 yen off coupon on his next Big Bang Burger Challenge, and there was no way he was ordering that ever again.

“Really?! I finished that giant mountain of a burger and all I get is a keychain?!”

 

He left the place feeling slightly disappointed, but hey at least he had bragging rights, a cheap keychain, and pants that were about 3 sizes too small.

 

> **9:10pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well… how’d it go?_
> 
>  
> 
> **9:11pm Yosuke:**
> 
> i did it n all i gt ws a fkin keychain
> 
>  
> 
> **9:11pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _You actually did it?! Wait, did you throw up afterwards? Because if you did, then that’s cheating._
> 
>  
> 
> **9:12pm Yosuke:**
> 
> ( _It’s a picture of the keychain)_
> 
>  
> 
> n no i did nt thrw up aftrwrds
> 
>  
> 
> **9:13pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Wow. I’m actually impressed. Now you have to do the two other ranks._
> 
>  
> 
> **9:13pm Yosuke:**
> 
> sht no

 

~~~

 

Yosuke plopped himself down on his futon pretty much as soon as he got home. On top of the day being fairly tiring, his decision to take that challenge was settling in and his stomach was starting to revolt against him. He didn’t have class the next day, so technically he could stay up as late as he wanted, the only problem was that there was nothing to do. Well, nothing except for studying but he wasn’t going to do that anyways.

He layed back on futon, starring the ceiling and glancing at the empty walls of his small apartment. It could really use a pick me up in the form of his old posters and trinkets and suddenly he couldn’t wait until he could get back home in order to grab all that stuff.

If he could have avoided it, he would have just bought everything new, but there was no way he could have afforded that, so his dad promised him that if he could get back to Inaba during Golden Week that he’d take the day off and drive him back to his apartment along with all his ‘junk’. It almost wasn’t worth it if only his guitar, keyboard, and laptop wasn’t a part of that ‘junk’. But, sadly, his suitcase was just too small to hold all of his stuff, he was lucky he had enough to last him until Golden Week actually.

So, since he was tired with a stomach ache and nothing to do, he showered, got in bed, and continued his nightly ritual.

 

> **~April 11th 2013~**
> 
>  
> 
> **11:03pm Yosuke:**
> 
> Hey Partner, hw ws ur dy?? i feel lik i ask tht evry tim lol, nt lik ur gnna resnd. anywys mne ws knda bad. did u feel lik the city wsnt all tht grt whn u mvd bck? atuly, did u evn lik the city at all? i dnt thnk i evr asked?? i wnna no now tho. thre r so mny thngs i wnna ask u bt i mssed my chnce. i thnk thts prt of the rsn i miss u so much. i thnk u new evrythng abt me bt i nvr askd u enof. i.. thnk i mke tht mstke a lot. thr ws saki-senpai n u.. i dnt no tho, id lik 2 thnk ive cnged, jst stnks i mssed my chnce w/ u

 

Sent

 

 

> ( _Message failed to send. Hold to retry)_

 

It didn’t take long after that for him to fall asleep to the lights outside his window in the darkness of his bland apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wows this chapter was like 20 pages long in word because of all the texting.  
> Anyways, I think I owe a bit of an explanation... sorry I never got around to posting that full chapter last week. Truth is, that sickness kicked my butt more than I thought it would, I'm actually still sick right now, and on top of that this week was crazier than I thought it would be and hnggg. I'm also not going to promise weekly updates, possibly every other week for the next month or so, because school and other stuff are kicking my butt and ugh. Come on life, I just wanna write about my adorable angsty bois in peace.
> 
> Also, quick SO to you if you've been leaving comments and kudos and all of that amazing stuff. I've read every single comment at least like three times and I'm sorry I can't respond to all of them!!! Just know that I saw them and thank you I appreciate you and I'm soo glad you guys are liking the story so far because I'm really enjoying writing it! :D
> 
> And finally don't forget to leave kudos or a comment or whatevers if you're enjoying!


	6. Just a Normal Week

 

 

> **~April 12th 2013~**
> 
> **12:23pm Yosuke:**
> 
> mrning
> 
>  
> 
> **12:28pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Morning? Don’t you mean afternoon?_
> 
>  
> 
> **12:28pm Yosuke:**
> 
> npe i dnt hve a clss 2day so its mrning
> 
>  
> 
> **12:29pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I don’t have a class either, doesn’t mean time magically shifts to my needs._
> 
>  
> 
> **12:30pm Yosuke:**
> 
> :P
> 
>  
> 
> fair enogh

 

Yosuke stretched and sat up on his bed, glad he didn’t have a class this morning because he definitely would have missed it.

 

> **12:31pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _So, Golden Week is coming up._
> 
>  
> 
> **12:31pm Yosuke:**
> 
> tht it is
> 
>  
> 
> **12:32pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, you have any plans?_
> 
>  
> 
> **12:32pm Yosuke:**
> 
> goin bak hme, mainly jst 2 get my stff i lft thre tho lol
> 
>  
> 
> wht abt u?
> 
>  
> 
> **12:33pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Darn. I’m going back home too, so I’m actually going to be in Tokyo._
> 
>  
> 
> **12:33pm Yosuke:**
> 
> :o wht dy u levin??
> 
>  
> 
> **12:34pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I’ll be there all week except for the last day of break._
> 
>  
> 
> **12:34pm Yosuke:**
> 
> Nuuu. im gettin bak the lst dy of brk
> 
>  
> 
> **12:34pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, maybe next time._
> 
>  
> 
> **12:35pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yea mb nxt tme…

 

With a sigh and a heave Yosuke hauled himself off of his bed and got dressed, deciding to go to LeBlanc since the only other thing to do was study and, well, it wasn’t like he was failing any classes yet.

 

~~~

 

He spent the whole day practicing the art of coffee making, the art of washing dishes, and the art of making small talk with the customers, repeating the cycle as many times as needed until it was around 7pm.

 

An old man was the last customer of the day who engaged Yosuke in a nice talk about none other than Sojiro’s coffee making skills.

“I’ve never had coffee like his, let me tell you you’re very lucky to have him teach you how to make a spectacular cup.”

Yosuke turned around to face the customer, still wiping down the last dish on the drying rack. “If his training wasn’t so tough then maybe. That coffee you have right there is a ‘well it’s ok but it still needs work’ according to him.”

Yosuke looked over his shoulder to see if Sojiro had caught any of that, but instead the dude looked spaced out, probably staring at some crack in the wall or something. He seemed to do that a lot when a customer was trying to make small talk, Yosuke wondered how he kept any consistent customers before he came along.

“Hum, well, you’re on a darn good track to making the perfect coffee if this is still your first week here,” the old man tossed down a few coins and then carefully stood up. “Thank you for the coffee and conversation, but it’s getting late and I should be going.”

Yosuke waved him goodbye as he left.

Sojiro looked up as soon as the door swung shut.

“Alright kid, time to pack up. Thanks for your help.” He dug for the keys in his pocket while Yosuke took off the brown apron he’d been given earlier that day, carefully hanging it from the hook in the back of the cafe.

“No problem. I should be by tomorrow too unless something comes up.”

“Sound’s good.”

 

The ride home was pretty typical, as was his nightly text and his attempt at sleep.

 

~~~

 

His weekend didn’t include much more than texting Directions Dude, working at the coffee shop, even doing a little bit of studying at night, and of course, not dropping the habit of his little nightly texting ritual.

 

Futaba showed up again on Sunday, still calling Yosuke “headphones dude” and still eating curry. He also got a “Hey, this is actually pretty good” from Sojiro regarding his Cuban Crystal Mountain brew, which was a boost to the ol’ moral. And, finally, he ended off his day with a lengthy texting session between him and Direction Dude about their first week of classes.

 

> **~April 14th 2013~**
> 
> **10:48pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, yeah, class has been interesting enough. At least I don’t have to take Calculus this year._

 

He laid on his bed with his phone hovering over his face. Unexpectedly, the phone buzzed and Yosuke almost dropped it on his face. Already down to 15% charge, but he swore it was at 75% just a few minutes ago.

 

> **10:48pm Yosuke:**
> 
> hy clcus is…
> 
>  
> 
> a sht clss yea ur rite
> 
>  
> 
> **10:49pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I already suffered through it last year._
> 
>  
> 
> _Anyways, how’s that whole ‘job’ thing going? Making good coffee?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:49pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yea actlly my boss tld me tht i made a gud cup 2day so id say imma mstr at it nw
> 
>  
> 
> **10:49pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Nice. I’ve worked a few part-time jobs, but never anything with coffee._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:49pm Yosuke:**
> 
> r u admittng 2 nt being able 2 mke coffee???
> 
>  
> 
> **10:50pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, I can make it, just nothing amazing or anything._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:50pm Yosuke:**
> 
> tll u wht if we evr do met up u mke the brkfst n ill mke the coffee

 

Yosuke regretted that message as soon as he sent it. What if they took it weirdly??

 

> **10:50pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _That actually sounds nice._

 

Phew.

 

> **10:50pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yea
> 
>  
> 
> **10:51pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Well, it was nice chatting but I should probably go to sleep. I have class tomorrow. Night!_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:51pm Yosuke:**
> 
> gnite

 

Yosuke plugged his phone in to charge, set it down on the nightstand, and looked up at the ceiling. He didn’t have class tomorrow, in fact Monday was practically an extension of his weekend, which was nice. It also meant he didn’t have to go to bed anytime soon.

He turned his head towards the window, going out wasn’t exactly an option considering it had started raining about an hour ago and he still didn’t have an umbrella. Not to mention the Red Light District was the only place with things actually open and, while he admittedly wanted to check it out, going there at this time of night probably wasn’t the best idea.

And so, it was just Yosuke and his phone in the small little apartment at 11pm on a Sunday night. He wondered what his past friends were up to. Sleeping, probably. But what did their daily life look like? School? Work? Both? Well, he could make a pretty good guess for most of them, Chie was at the Police Academy, Kanji was running practically two businesses at once, Yukiko was running an Inn and going to some online University at the same time, Teddie was either in the TV or with Rise, who was somewhere being a super movie star or whatever, and Naoto was probably working on ten cases at once in the Police Department in Central Shibuya. That was everyone except Yu, who Yosuke assumed was probably doing something cool and exciting, something he likely didn’t need Yosuke for. But hey, he could dream, right?

Everyone seemed to be growing up, becoming more responsible, actually working on their lives while he was still acting like some teenager. Next thing he knew and everyone would be getting married and having kids and probably forgetting about him entirely, that is if they haven’t already. And where would he be? Probably still struggling to pay bills, eating shitty microwave nachos, and attempting to uphold some fantasy friendship with someone he’d never even met. And that’s assuming this person won’t stop texting him next year, or next month, or in the next few weeks or days.

He picked up his phone again to check the time. Somehow an hour had passed and he didn’t even realize. Midnight.

 

> **~April 15th 2013~**
> 
> **12:05am Yosuke:**
> 
> Dear Partner, hwre u? lik i mean it ths tme. r u as lst as i am? kinda dbt it but idk. evryone else hs it figrd out i thnk. i thnk mst of thm figrd it out bc of u atully. or frm thir shdows at lest. u no lik yukiko dcided tht she wnts 2 run hr fmilys inn frm hrs and kanjis all alrite wth being hmslf whch led him 2 the whle sewing thng n thn chie n the police stuff, althou i dnt no abt her i thnk i mssd smthing up, bt thts nt wht ths is abt, shes prbly stll hppy thre, at lst i hope. pnt is evry1 got their sht figred out bt i ws jst gettng ovr being a stuid kid n i dnt evn hve tht figrd out. bt thn thrs u. i dnt thnk any1 ws arnd 2 hlp u figre it out. we all jst kinda assmed u hd it all 2gther but idk.
> 
> i wsh u were stll arnd so we culd figre it out 2gether if u dnt hve it fgrd out alrdy. thts prbly bullsht tho i bet ur fne.

 

Sent

 

> _(Message failed to send. Hold to retry.)_

 

~~~

 

The morning rush of Monday brought a few more customers to the cafe than Yosuke was used to. One of those customers being the silver haired lady, who was there when he walked in.

Sojiro was behind the counter making coffee, looking up at Yosuke as he took his bag off. “You’re here early,”

Yosuke shrugged, “it’s a Monday.”

He grabbed the dirty white apron and got to washing the dishes. He washed and dried as most of the customers paid Sojiro and left, all except for the lady, who seemed to be trying to burn a hole in the back of his head with her eyes.

“So, are you a High School student?” Yosuke jumped a little bit. The lady continued glaring at him as if he was a puzzle and she was trying to piece him together in her mind. It kind of creeped him out. _Definitely_ creeped him out.

“Uh, well, no. University. I just moved here.”

She seemed to sense his low comfort level and her hard stare softened a little.

“Well I’m glad this place is getting some kind of help. It’s a nice hole-in-the wall.” She paused and looked down at her watch, “anyways, I should be leaving.”

Without so much as a wave goodbye she picked up her briefcase and walked out the door. Yosuke giving a confused look after her.

“That was… odd,” Yosuke questioned, continuing to scrub plates.

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about her. But, she’s a paying customer,” Sojiro glanced over the now empty cafe, his eyes eventually wandering to Yosuke. “So, coffee?”

“On it.”

 

As per starting-to-get typical, Yosuke brewed some coffee, Sojiro said it was alright, and Yosuke stood behind the counter for the rest of the day, making meaningless small talk with customers and barely comprehending the static noise coming from the TV.

 

~~~

 

He didn’t get to go home until around 10:30, but not because Sojiro forced him to stay that late, quite the opposite actually. Sojiro actually left about an hour and half before he did. The place was starting to feel more like home than his own apartment and because of that he didn’t want to leave. Nonetheless, the last train was about to leave so he forced himself to close up shop and ran to catch his ride.

 

The train ride felt like it was getting longer and longer each day, with the crowds of bustling people and the brightness of the sun shining through the window. The ride back today was much different. For starters, he was somehow the only one on the train, and it was also dark outside. Well, as dark as it could be in the city. It was oddly lonely, knowing probably about a half of the city was asleep and the other half was out doing whatever, little ants on the street below, completely oblivious to the fact that he was riding an empty train right above their heads or below their feet. The streets seemed alive with the harsh glow of advertisements mixed with the soft light from back-alley shops, a few spotlights reached for the clouds in the distance. Everything was so gigantic and he was just a little speck in it all, riding a dimly-lit piss-smelling train to his dimly-lit piss-smelling apartment.

The muffled voice of the announcer snapped him out of his little trance. “Next stop: Umenjima Station.” Well that was quick.

He stepped off the train and started heading towards his apartment. This part of the city was already dead, weirdly enough it seemed like all activity kind of halted once the last train left for the night.

Only a few people were out this late, probably drunk. The laughter of friends inside a bar mocked him as he paused to take out his phone, the bright screen blinding him for a moment. Once he could see again, he navigated to his texts. No new messages. That was odd, it has been a whole day since he last got a message from Directions Dude. It had only been a week and they had just texted last night, there was no way that something happened, no way that Yosuke somehow fucked up last night or something… right? Panic started setting in, but Yosuke reminded himself that Directions Dude was probably just busy, it wasn’t a usual occurrence for friends to leave out of nowhere. Right? He anxiously looked down at his phone for a second. It wouldn’t hurt to check.

 

> **~April 15th 2013~**
> 
> **11:12pm Yosuke:**
> 
> hy u alive???

 

He waited another second before putting his phone back in his pocket with no response. Laughter erupted from inside the bar again. Sighing, Yosuke decided to put his headphones on to block it out and continued walking, part of him wishing he still had his rickety sunshine yellow bike from back in Inaba. He’d pick it up when he was back there during Golden Week, but after practically two years of no use it was probably rusted beyond saving. It wasn’t his fault he wanted to try to walk with Yu everyday and then was too lazy to dig it out after that year. Well, alright, maybe it was, but he couldn’t help it.

 

He got home around 11:30, exhausted. After sending off a final text documenting his day to a friend that might as well not be real at that point, he kicked off his shoes and flopped onto his futon, not caring about showering or pajamas.

 

~~~

 

His alarm sounded at 7am promptly the next morning. And then 7:30. 7:45. And then he was late. Again. His brain finally made the connection that he had a 9am class and a 55 minute commute around 8:04am, which gave him exactly one minute to decide his clothes from yesterday smelled just fine and a little bit of deodorant and some gum would do the trick for the smell factor.

Somehow, Yosuke didn’t realize he forgot his phone and his headphones until he was stepping onto the train. Today was going to be a long day.

 

One awkward train ride later, in which he had nowhere to look but his feet, and a frantic sprint, in which he swore he’d never wake up late again, and he was sitting in class, with about a minute to spare too.

He huffed as he laid his face down on his bag and then sat up again, realizing he would actually have to listen to the lecture today.

 

Once class was over, he debated going back home and then coming back for his second class, a two hour commute, but alas he only had an hour and a half until his next class started. He’d have to wait it out.

And so, for possibly the first time in his life, Yosuke ate lunch on time and then sat down to actually study for a full hour and a half, which took second place in ‘the worst things ever’ right behind his teacher’s lecture.

And then he had to sit down for a second lecture, making for a grand total of seven and a half hours of school work, making him want to shove his head through a wall at his earliest convenience. How the hell did he survive high school again?

At that point, he decided to spend the next few hours at LeBlanc, he missed his cell-friend but they ignored him all day yesterday so it should be fine. Right? Right.

 

~~~

 

Wrong. Sojiro actually made him stay for a least an hour more than Yosuke wanted to, and his mind was completely elsewhere. Sometimes he even caught himself reaching half-consciously for a phone that wasn’t there and swore he heard it buzz at least once.

 

He got home at around 7pm and ran straight to his nightstand.

 

_Directions Dude: 5 missed messages_

 

Well at least they were still around.

 

> **~April 16th 2013~**
> 
> **6:48am Directions Dude:**  
>  _So sorry, I am alive, yesterday was weird._
> 
>  
> 
> **11:03am Directions Dude:**
> 
> _You there?_
> 
>  
> 
> **12:45pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Don’t tell me you blocked me or something, I was away for one day._
> 
>  
> 
> **2:23pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Help the day is boring without you :’(_
> 
>  
> 
> **4:30pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Please don’t make me socialize with actual people._

 

Yosuke laughed to himself a little bit, the texts actually made him feel a little guilty for forgetting his phone, but he was relieved. His friend was still there and still wanted to chat with him.

 

> **7:03pm Yosuke:**
> 
> cybr fnd 2 the rscue. srz i frgt my phne at hme. wke up l8. wht hppnd ystrdy??
> 
>  
> 
> **7:05pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Ah yes my cyber savior, even though class ended two hours ago. Don’t worry about yesterday, just some work stuff and I wound up falling asleep early. How was your phoneless day?_
> 
>  
> 
> **7:06pm Yosuke:**
> 
> oops wll im hre now. n it ws sht cuz no music n no txting a rndm strngr. also wait u wrk? i thgt it ws jst scool 4 u.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:06pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _It’s not really work stuff, just a silly ongoing thing I don’t really want to talk about._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:06pm Yosuke:**
> 
> u shr u dnt wnna tlk??? seems 2 bothr u.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:07pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I’m sure._

 

A few seconds passed.

 

> _Maybe someday._
> 
>  
> 
> **7:08pm Yosuke:**
> 
> alrite... well hws ur day w/o me???
> 
>  
> 
> **7:08pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Like I think I said before, boring._

 

Yosuke sat and chatted with his friend, catching up on the days events. He wasn’t oblivious though, something was bothering his friend and he made a pact with himself to get it out of him someday, but today he was just glad Directions Dude was still around.

After chatting, he browsed videos on his phone for a little while, sent his text, and fell asleep.

 

~~~

 

To say the rest of the week was uneventful would be an overstatement.

Wednesday, he actually woke up on time, made it to his classes, and didn’t fall asleep. He did get the notebook chick’s name though, Ichiko Ohya. She talked his ear off after class about recent news and cool stories and what-not, at least he had one comparably normal acquaintance in the city now.

Thursday he finally remembered to go shopping before class, glad there was no Junes in the area. There was now hopefully enough food in the house for the next month or so, all frozen things. His texting buddy was pretty disappointed in him for that, but hey, food’s food.

Friday he did laundry for the first time. Other than nearly breaking his toe on the washing machine after it stole his coins, asking Directions Dude for help multiple times, and staining his only white shirt a mish-match of different colors, it went well.

 

Friday night he got home around 10pm after working a fairly long shift. He fell onto his bed with a satisfying plop, exhausted, taking out his phone out of no more than instinct at this point. There where a few new messages from Directions Dude, but the date was the thing that caught his attention. Friday April 19th, just like that his second week in the city seemed to whiz by without him even noticing.

His phone buzzed and he finally decided to check his texts.

 

> **~April 19th 2013~**
> 
> **10:32pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Hey_
> 
> _Whats up?_
> 
> _I’m honestly having a hard time studying tonight._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:34pm Yosuke:**
> 
> yea sme
> 
>  
> 
> **10:34pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Wait, you were studying?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:34pm Yosuke:**
> 
> nupe
> 
>  
> 
> **10:35pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Alright good, then I don’t feel as bad for bothering you._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:35pm Yosuke:**
> 
> so y wre u hving a hrd tme stdying?

 

Yosuke starred at his phone, waiting. It was taking them an unusually long time to reply.

 

> **10:37pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I don’t know. I guess there’s a lot on my mind right now._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:37pm Yosuke:**
> 
> lik wht?
> 
>  
> 
> **10:38pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I guess I’m not looking forward to going back home. Even just for a week._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:38pm Yosuke:**
> 
> wll thn y go?
> 
>  
> 
> **10:39pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I don’t really have a choice._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:39pm Yosuke:**
> 
> of crse u hve a choice. jst dnt go.
> 
>  
> 
> **10:40pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _My parents are paying for my education and living situation. They want me home for Golden Week. I don’t have a choice._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:40pm Yosuke:**
> 
> ?? ur smrt u cn get a job 2 py 4 tht stff
> 
>  
> 
> **10:41pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I really wish it was that easy._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:41pm Yosuke:**
> 
> :/

 

Yosuke's eyes suddenly got wide and a mischievous grin crossed his face as he got an idea.

 

> **10:41pm Yosuke:**
> 
> whr r u stying in the city??
> 
>  
> 
> **10:42pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _With my parents?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:42pm Yosuke:**
> 
> y?
> 
>  
> 
> **10:43pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Because I can’t afford a hotel? What are you getting at?_
> 
>  
> 
> **10:43pm Yosuke:**
> 
> dnt sty wth thm
> 
>  
> 
> imma b out of my apprtmnt
> 
>  
> 
> sty thr n shw ur prnts tht u dnt need thm

 

Once again Yosuke was left anxiously staring at his phone wait for a reply.

 

> **10:46pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _I really don’t think you’re getting this. Even if I did have money for a hotel or even if I could stay at your place I don’t think my parents would be very happy with me. Plus, do I really have to explain to you the dangers of inviting a total stranger to stay at your place? What if I ended up being a crackhead or something? Sorry, but I can’t take you up on that offer._
> 
>  
> 
> **10:47pm Yosuke:**
> 
> ok frst of all ur nt a crkhed ik this bc sooo mny rsns lik u jst cmpred urslf 2 1. a crkhed wold nt say thy r a crkhed. scnd i styd in sme1 elses plce frst nite i ws hre and it was fne srsly i wrk thre nw, jst tht id pss it on.
> 
>  
> 
> jst keep my offr in mnd lmk n ill tell u whr the spar key is
> 
>  
> 
> alrite?

 

For the third time that hour Yosuke was left waiting forever for a response.

 

> **10:51pm Directions Dude:**
> 
> _Alright._

 

Good enough for him. He stood up and got ready for bed, brushing his teeth, putting on actual pajamas, etcetera, and crawled into his futon, picking up his phone in the process.

 

> **~April 19th 2013~**
> 
>  
> 
> **11:43pm Yosuke:**
> 
> Hey Partner, do i evn hve 2 ask hw u r? i men i guss nt, ur nt even gnna rspnd lol. anywys no tht new frnd ive been tlking abt? they hve fmily issues n thyre stying w/ them in tokyo 4 gldn week. i told thm thy cn use my aprtmnt bc ill b in inaba but thy said no. imma still leve the spar key out in cse tho, u nvr no. i no ur prnts wrnt that nice. hop u got awy frm tht. wondr if ur in inaba. miss u.

 

Sent

 

> ( _Message failed to send. Hold to retry)_

 

Anxious for Golden Week, Yosuke counted through the colors outside of his window until he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, alright. I'm still here, living and breathing I swear. Truth is I've been sitting on this chapter since April, but I'm still not a huge fan of how it turned out so I've been worried cuz I know it's a bit boring. Of course it'll pick up after this though. *evil laugh*
> 
> Also it's Yosuke's birthday so I just had to update, our trash boy is freaking 24 today what the what? (Fun fact: mine's in 5 days too which is p cool)
> 
> OH YEAH ONE MORE THING. Thank you so much for 1k views and *almost* 100 kudos. Considering I haven't posted in months that's like, crazy. Your guy's support really does mean a lot, especially since I'm pretty new around here and haven't written much in years. <3


	7. Just Some Songs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: recently brought to my attention that there is some mention of slight dub-con in this chapter that could be triggering.

Safe to say, the next few weeks found Yosuke in a complete rhythm. Go to class, go to the cafe, text with Directions Dude, grocery shopping or laundry or other adult things, sleep, repeat. And so on, and on, and on. Days quickly melted into weeks until, finally, he found himself waiting to leave for the station late on a Friday night. He still had another 15 minutes or so before he had to leave and miraculously his bags were already packed and he even ended up cleaning his apartment, just in case anyone were to need it.

It wasn’t like he was anxious for the trip or anything, but there was definitely something about the threat of possibly meeting up with his old friends only for them to hate him now that was making him nervously pace around his room. Alright, so what if he was a little anxious? It would be fine.

 

~~~

 

Despite his own reassurance, the thought wouldn’t leave his mind until he found himself standing in front of the train door.

 

The train was small and mostly empty. Apparently most people didn’t care about leaving the city on Golden Week in the middle of the night, at least not to some small town in the middle of nowhere.

Bored, he started scrolling through all of his playlists, mostly just old ones he threw together for some party or just for the hell of it. Most were only played once and some never. They were meaningless, well, most of them at least.

He stopped scrolling and came face to face with one of those few that actually held something behind it.

 

"Friends"

 

Such a simple name for such a powerful playlist. It was one that was never listened too, but he added to it all the time. Each song in it was related to a person. Each song was too full of memories. Each song reminded him of an old friend. His anxieties started to come back at the thought of it, but if he couldn’t get rid of thought then mind as well indulge in it, right?

He looked around for a second, no one was even glancing his way. Screw it. He pressed play.

 

The first song started slow as the intro played. It was one he added a while back, one he didn’t quite remember but it became pretty obvious who it was about by the second line of lyrics.

_“I was new in town, the boy with the eager eyes. I never was a quitter, oblivious to schoolgirls' lies”_

As hard as it was to admit, the ache was still there, if dulled. Saki’s silver hair, that rare smile he always loved seeing, that stupid innocent puppy-dog love he had for her. And of course, the death that had started it all. And then the total betrayal he felt with that death. He was smarter now though, a person’s shadow is not that person, but her words still stuck with him. Where would she be now, if she was still here?

_“You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone. You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone.”_

It really didn’t matter. She was gone, the first innocent life taken by a man too dispicable for his own good. And, if he were to be selfish for a minute, something told Yosuke that his situation wouldn’t be much different as it was right now had she not been a victim. Or maybe it would. Maybe the Investigation Team would have never started. Maybe Chie and Yukiko and Kanji and Naoto would all be dead right now… maybe Nanako would be… no. No. As horrible as it was to admit, Saki’s death wasn’t in vain, it was the kick in the ass Yosuke needed to give a shit and the kick in the ass Yu needed to help him. Horrible, sure, but it wasn’t in vain.

_“When you want it all… there’s another side…”_

 

There was a lull in the music for a second as the train whizzed by, nearing the edge of the skyscrapers that littered the city, which was still alive with lights, just not people. Sighing, Yosuke leaned back in his seat, waiting for the next memory to start playing.

 

_“She’s watching the taxi driver, he pulls away.”_

It’s funny how he can almost imagine her looking straight at a taxi, her long black hair blowing back as it speeds away, watching as if waiting for the dude she just met to come back and take her away from the small town.

_“She says, yeah, he’s still coming just a little bit late, he got stuck at the laundromat washing his cape.”_

He often wondered if Yukiko ever regretted her decision, instead of getting out of the family business, she just stayed there. Trapped. Did that really _solve_ anything? What if it ended up differently? What if this whole crazy mish-maush never happened and Yukiko left Inaba to go do something better with her life. It almost made him angry. She probably could do something better. But, well, so long as she’s happy running a hotel, that’s probably not much of his business to get into. Maybe he was just jealous that she already had a life in front of her.

_“Waiting for Superman to pick her up. In his arms yeah, in his arms yeah.”_

Of course, she did look really good and she was pretty freaking hot, he definitely wouldn’t have minded dating her back in high school and he was sure it was the same for pretty much everyone in their class, not to mention she was shy and sweet until you got to know her, but in reality she has a really weird laugh but polite personality. If she wanted someone to take her out of small-town Inaba, she could have got it. Honestly, it still shocked Yosuke today that she somehow still hasn’t dated anyone, at least not to his knowledge.

_“She’s waiting for superman.”_

Well, not anymore she isn’t.

 

As the music stopped again, Yosuke looked out the window only to realize that the lights of the city had dimmed into more of a residential glow. House on top of house, next to apartments, with the occasional glow of a TV or a reading lamp and the near ability to make out a star or two above the rooftops.

 

A light in one of the houses turned off as a guitar riff started the next song, one with considerably more edge than the last.

_“On the other side of town lives a sabertooth tiger. Paint's a real good picture, he's an excellent liar.”_

It was obvious this song had sat in this playlist for a long time. Kanji had changed so much over the last few years that he wasn’t even sure this song applied anymore. Well, at least Yosuke’s view of the dude had changed a lot.

_“Runway runway runaway from the beast. Got a bullet in your back and you’re shaking at the knees.”_

Ugh, he was such a stupid kid. When did he ever think of Kanji as a threat? Well, there was that whole biker situation and those rumors that he mugged a kid or whatever, but in the end he was afraid of Kanji because he might have been gay. Or half gay. Bi? Whatever. It was like he thought the dude had some sort of gay sense where he could sense another gay (bi?) person from a mile away or whatever. Truth is, he probably never figured it out and it was just a stupid fear and now Kanji probably hates him. Ironic how now Yosuke’s got the gay crush and Kanji’s got the smartest girl in the group, or at least that’s what it seems like. Last time he checked their relationship was complicated or whatever. Just. Whatever.

_“His mouth is full of sand he's just dying to meet you. On the other side of town lives a sabertooth tiger.”_

Enh, it was stupid to think of.

 

The music abruptly stopped and the playlist moved on to the next song. The lights of the city we’re still evident in the sky behind him, masking the night sky in a sort of yellow glow. He looked back and watched the city fade away as the next song started with a soft guitar strum and a light piano, immediately lending itself to a sort of mystical vibe.

 

_“She’s blood, flesh and bones. No tucks or silicone.”_

Yeah, Risette was hot. Still is hot. Very hot. Hey, just because he liked a guy didn’t mean he still couldn’t at least appreciate his old friend’s curves, not like he’s seen them for himself in a while, and he was definitely over the hormonal teenage boy phase. In fact, he didn’t even own one of her posters anymore. He really couldn’t, especially after seeing her shadow. The person he idolized was not Risette Kujikawa, it was international superstar Rise who was literally marketed to him and plenty of other teenage boys as the perfect girl with the perfect body.

_“I know we’re right where I belong and nothing’s gonna happen, yeah.”_

Yeah, she would never have had a crush on him and even if she did, well that probably would have been ruined with the whole crushing on his best friend situation. If Rise ever found out about that she probably would have cleverly schemed one of her patented plans to get rid of him so she could have Yosuke’s best friend all to herself, it was no secret she was interested in him. Plus, his crush on her really did fade when he started getting to know the real her. Not that she was a bad person, she was a really good friend and actually pretty smart. Just not his type.

_“She’s so high. High above me, she’s so lovely.”_

Despite her international movie deal, outgoing personality, and fame, Rise was really just Rise, not really someone to be worshiped, just someone to be respected as a human being. And that was fine.

_“She’s so high. High above me.”_

He hoped that she found out who she was and what she enjoyed, he also hoped her movie was going well, but he wouldn’t be swooning over her anytime soon. Well, at least not in a ‘serious relationship’ sense.

_“She’s so high. High above me.”_

 

The music came to a slow stop as Yosuke realized he couldn’t make out the town lights anymore. Just the stars, just the moon, just the dark fields of grass and the dim light inside the train. It may have been lonely in the empty train car, with no sight of anyone and not many lights, but it was oddly peaceful. He rested his head against the window and looked out into the night sky. The stars shone brighter than they had since he left Inaba, and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. The next song started with a looping electric guitar, quickly leading into some sort of piano as Yosuke gazed into the night.

 

_“You lost faith in the human spirit. You walk around like a ghost.”_

As soon as school was out Naoto was gone. She was still a year behind most of the group, but apparently some prestigious college in Tokyo really wanted her, so she graduated early. There was no goodbye, she didn’t even tell them until she was gone. It wasn’t like she was the first to leave and she was always pretty distant, but it was still a blow to the remaining group, not that anyone but Yosuke would have time for a half-assed ‘going away party’. Come to think of it, she was especially distant those last few months, so it wasn’t like her up and leaving was unexpected. In fact, she was like that pretty much ever since their leader disappeared. From what Yosuke remembered, she was pretty close with him, he was really the only person she was ever willing to talk to - well, other than Kanji. Was she hurting to? Maybe. But she was gone anyways, maybe if he was lucky he’d run into her at some point in Tokyo.

_“When they knock you down, you're gonna get back on your feet.”_

Despite all of that, Naoto was always the strongest in the group, if in trade she was difficult to talk to about absolutely everything non-investigation related, and even then it was a struggle. Still, the sheer amount of times she saved his dumb ass from something stupid in battle was somewhere near infinity.

_“I always saw you as a kind of keeper. A mother to a child.”_

A bit of a stretch but yeah, Naoto was definitely the mom of the group. And dad. Both, really. Maybe one of the youngest, and shortest (as he constantly reminded her), not to mention she was the last of the group to join, but probably the wisest by years. She may as well had been the old stubborn grandma of the group with a gun.

_“When they break your heart, when they cause your soul to mourn.”_

Of course, that sort of personality doesn’t just happen. She’s been through a lot, from her parents and that car crash, to feeling judged just due to her gender. Yosuke would never even be able to imagine what she went through, practically learning to take care of herself and having to grow up so quickly just so she could land herself a job only to be called and inadequate child, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

_“Come on show your face, come on give us one more spark.”_

At least she was doing well now, even if she did just up and leave without really telling anyone. He occasionally saw her on the news as the ‘ex-detective prince(ss)’ and usually something about a case she was working on, followed by newscasters wondering why she dropped her title while she was still in high school. And of course, constant reminders of the ‘shocking news’ earlier that year about Naoto actually being a girl. At least she was being more open to the public.

_“The venom and the overflow, you turn away, welcome home.”_

 

The train fell silent again as the music ended. Outside, the stars shone brighter and brighter as they continued to farther and farther away from any towns. The rolling hills, tall grass, and farmland were all silhouettes under the glow of the moon. He thought maybe he could make out a small town in the distance and wondered what kind of adventures it held, how many people were there that he would never be able to meet. Before he could get too lost in thought, the next song started with an acoustic guitar, into a fast paced intro he tried - and actually succeeded - to play once on his own guitar.

 

_“Weep for yourself, my man, you'll never be what is in your heart.”_

Safe to say Teddie was the strangest of the group, he was once a shadow after all, and also mainly identifies as a bear, not to mention the bear costume and puns. Yosuke couldn’t use the words barely and unbearable months after he left with Rise, in fact he still had trouble using them in a sentence.

“ _Take all the courage you have left, wasted on fixing all the problems that you made in your own head.”_

Despite that, the little non-human dude still had a lot of issues. Yeah sure he was annoying, immature, stupid, and really _just so annoying,_ but really it wasn’t his fault. After all, Yosuke wouldn’t know what to do if he had no clue where he came from, no friends, and looked like a bear only to be suddenly shoved into some new world with new rules and topsicles. All in all he handled it pretty well.

_“Your grace is wasted in your face, your boldness stands alone among the wreck.”_

Yosuke really couldn’t help but feel bad for him, especially when he heard about what happened after Nanako nearly died. It was weirdly admirable that someone - er, something, no, someone - without a real purpose, especially after the investigation ended, could just create a life out of virtually nothing. Teddie’s will to live was certainly something else, whether his ignorance came into play with it or not. Although, it was pretty ironic that the whole destiny thing ended up putting him back on TV somehow, but at least it was through a camera and he was with Rise. In Hollywood. Even though he literally never even went through school. Oh well, so what if Teddie was doing better than Yosuke? Considering he may just lose the will to be here and possibly get sucked back into the TV world at any point, he has some sort of a right to be successful.

_“I really fucked it up this time, didn’t I my dear? Didn’t I my dear?”_

 

The sky outside seemed darker than Yosuke had ever seen it, with the large fields of rice blending into the sky. But it wasn’t a scary dark, it was almost calming. Many of the stars could still be made out, a slightly blue one there and a reddish one up there - probably planets. One thing was for certain at that moment, it was one thing to feel small in a city, and a whole different thing to feel small in the scope of the universe. Almost as if right on cue, a softer acoustic guitar started playing in his ears, almost the exact opposite of the last song.

 

_“He woke up from dreaming and put on his shoes.”_

Chie was a friend. A good friend, really. Someone who had good motives, a nice but tough personality, and understood the difficulties of dying dark hair to a lighter shade of brown. She was strong as hell too, and under her sarcasm and playground insults was genuinely a nice person, someone Yosuke would have actually hung out with even if it wasn’t for the whole TV world thing, and the only other person he could say that about was his old best friend.

_“Started making his way past 2 in the morning.”_

Well, at least all of that was true up until the last night she was in Inaba.

He braced himself for what was coming, the memory of a situation he would rather forget. The perfect storm of pent up hidden emotions on one part, and anger and confusion on another. Just a mistake, really. Something Yosuke wanted to think of as a dream, but it wasn’t. There was no way.

_“Remembering Sunday, he falls to his knees.”_

That night, his family was out for a business trip, it was only a few weeks after his best friend stopped responding to his texts and now Chie was leaving tomorrow. He remembered telling the group at her half-assed ‘going away party’ that it would just be him and so he could clean up the small mess the party left behind without worrying about a curfew. That was pretty much the last time the whole group was together, and he certainly didn’t expect to see Chie again for a long time. Seemingly due to this and the lingering confusion over his old friend and missed texts, he decided to go home and relax a little, just to think things over.

_“Now this place seems familiar to him. She pulled on his hand with a devilish grin.”_

Little did he know that exactly one beer in she would show up at his doorstep with a suitcase. Was she crying? Maybe. He didn’t have enough time to see. What he did see was her dropping that suitcase on the floor and throwing herself at him, like she was trying to devour his face. Obviously he was surprised at first, but he was slightly drunk and confused and figured this girl with a nice body, someone who he could have had feelings for if it wasn’t for - well, you know - had just thrown herself at him, and if he could never have the person he wanted then mind as well... and now her tongue was in his mouth and someone was pinned up against a wall and then one thing lead to another. Finally she was asleep on top of him on the couch. Everything happened so fast and his mind was so blurry. It wasn’t what he imagined his first kiss to be, that was for certain.

_“I didn't think much of it then, but it's starting to all make sense.”_

When he woke up her train had already left. The lime green suitcase was gone, Yosuke was tucked under a quilt that usually laid on the back of his couch, as if he had just decided to spend the night in the living room. The only evidence of the night prior was a hastily scribbled letter in Chie’s chicken-scratch handwriting.

_“I'm not coming back, I've done something so terrible, I'm terrified to speak, but you'd expect that from me.”_

He could only make out a few lines of the letter, something about being sorry, and this wasn’t the way she wanted to tell him, but she had feelings for him. His stomach dropped at that, and he found himself coming back from the whole thing with way more questions than answers.

_“I’m mixed up, I’ll be blunt.”_

He made one call. Straight to voicemail.

“Uh, Chie, it’s Yosuke. D-do we need to talk?”

_“So many thousands of feet off the ground, I’m over you now, I’m at home in the clouds.”_

She never responded. Since then just thinking about texting her steak pictures has gotten really awkward.

_“I guess I’ll go home now, I guess I’ll go home now. I guess I’ll go home.”_

 

He picked up his phone, pausing the music before it could get to the very last song. Suddenly the silence felt eerie, the pitch black outside a nearly empty train cart a void with Yosuke right in the middle. He looked back down at his phone, scrolling through until he found a different song to play. A calming guitar played through his headphones before the lyrics started.

 

_“And I’d give up forever to touch you, cuz I know that you feel me somehow.”_

Someone immediately popped into his mind as the lyrics began. He sat for a minute with his eyes closed, just listening to the music.

_“I just don’t want to miss you tonight.”_

A small smile crept across his face as the melody played.

_“When everything’s meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.”_

He rested his head on the back of his seat.

“ _And you can’t fight the tears that ain’t comin’”_

Was he falling in love with someone he never met? Maybe. Was it healthy? Probably not. Was he adding the song to the playlist? Yes.

“ _Or the moment of truth in your lies...”_

He pressed the ‘add song’ button and promptly curled up on the seat and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aheh~ yea it's been awhile again. I'm starting to sense a pattern here. But hey, guess what, still enjoy writing, still super busy, still trying to write long-ass chapters. Not to mention 2018 has probably been the most chaotic neutral year I have ever experienced, which honestly isn't a bad thing. 
> 
> I'll spare you the details tho. Just know no matter how long I'm away this story always sits at the back of my mind waiting to be posted so. 
> 
> Also, truth is I've been sitting on the chapter awhile. It's kinda boring but it's here for a reason, I swear.
> 
> Yea. Happy New Year btw. :)
> 
> Songs used in this chapter:  
> Saki's Song: Miss Atomic Bomb by The Killers  
> Yukiko's Song: Waiting For Superman by Daughtry  
> Kanji's Song: Sabertooth Tiger by Cage the Elephant  
> Rise's Song: She's So High by Tal Bachman  
> Naoto's Song: Battle Born by The Killers  
> Teddie's Song: Little Lion Man by Mumford and Sons  
> Chie's Song: Remembering Sunday by All Time Low  
> Direction Dude's Song: Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls


	8. Second Chance

> **~April 15th 2013~**
> 
> **6:30am Unknown:**
> 
> NARUKAMI
> 
>  
> 
> NARUKAMI?
> 
>  
> 
> PLZ RESPOND ASAP
> 
>  
> 
> **7:03am Yu:**
> 
> Naoto?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:04am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> HOW DID U KNOW?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:04am Yu:**
> 
> Psychic
> 
>  
> 
> **7:04am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> I MEAN IT
> 
>  
> 
> **7:05am Yu:**
> 
> Well, you do have a very distinct texting style.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:05am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> I DO? I DID NOT NOTICE.
> 
>  
> 
> I DUG THROUGH DOJIMAS FILES TO GET UR NUMBER WHEN I WAS BACK IN INABA. THE TEAM HAS BEEN WORRIED. WHY HAVE U NOT BEEN ANSWERING?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:08am Yu:**
> 
> You know.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:09am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> AH YES, I SUPPOSE. 
> 
>  
> 
> HOW MUCH MORE TIME DO U THINK U WILL NEED?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:10am Yu:**
> 
> Matters I guess. 
> 
>  
> 
> **7:11am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> R U SURE U DONT WANT ME TELLING THE GROUP ANYTHING?? 
> 
>  
> 
> NOT SURE ABOUT NOW BUT LAST I CHECKED YOSUKE WAS PRETTY TORN UP.

 

He almost swallowed the gum he was chewing at the mention of his long-lost friend. As much as he wanted to get in contact with Yosuke, he technically wasn’t permitted to even be having this conversation with Naoto, in fact he was pretty peeved she decided to dig up his number. Especially when she was the only one who actually knew a little bit about what was going on.

 

> **7:13am Yu:**
> 
> I’m sure. I really don’t want them worrying or anything. Last thing I need is my parents getting suspicious because Kanji and Chie decided to inact some master plan to help me, only to have it horribly backfire. 
> 
>  
> 
> Plus, it’s not like I’m being held against my will or anything.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:13am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> IN A WAY IT IS AND U KNOW THAT.

 

He let out a disgruntled sigh, she wasn’t the only one telling him that after all.

 

> **7:14am Yu:**
> 
> I’m fine, alright? 
> 
>  
> 
> Look, Naoto, it’s really not that big of a deal, anyways.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:15am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> IM JUST WORRIED ABOUT U OUT THERE ALONE.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:15am Yu:**
> 
> Look who's speaking.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:16am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> I STILL HAVE CONTACT WITH EVERYONE IN THE IT, PLUS KANJI STILL VISITS ME. I DONT GET U SOMETIMES NARUKAMI, BUT I WILL HONOR YOUR WISHES.
> 
>  
> 
> THE MAIN REASON IM CONTACTING YOU ISN’T THAT ANYWAYS.
> 
>  
> 
> I AM CURRENTLY LOCATED AT THE POLICE STATION IN SHIBUYA AND HAVE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT SOME RECENT ACTIVITY IN THE AREA.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:17am Yu:**   
>  What do you mean? I’m a good 5 hours away from Tokyo.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:18am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> NOT CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, AT LEAST NOT TYPICAL CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.
> 
>  
> 
> WEIRD OCCURRENCES HAVE BEEN HAPPENING AS OF LATE. WITNESSES HAVE BEEN THROWING AROUND THE TERM “PSYCHOTIC BREAKDOWN” REGARDING ODD BEHAVIOR SOMETIMES RESULTING IN HARM OR DEATH. 
> 
>  
> 
> CONSIDERING THE SUPPOSED RECENT RESEARCH DONE ON THE HUMAN COGNITION, AS WELL AS OUR OWN EXPERIENCES, IM WORRIED IT MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO W/ SHADOWS.
> 
>  
> 
> AS OF NOW, ITS JUST A GUT FEELING, BUT I WANTED TO KEEP UR NUMBER IN CHECK IN CASE I MAY NEED U. U R STILL OUR LEADER AFTER ALL.

 

Yu definitely accidentally swallowed his gum, and choked for a good second, after that news.

 

> **7:20am Yu:**
> 
> Alright, yep. I’ll keep a look out around here too.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:20am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> DO NOT BE TOO WORRIED. AS I HAVE STATED ITS JUST A GUT FEELING. UR THE ONLY PERSON I’VE TOLD.
> 
>  
> 
> ALSO, I AM GIVING U MY ADDRESS IN CASE UR EVER IN NEED OF IT. THIS WILL ONLY BE 4 EMERGENCIES. KEEP IN MIND I MAY NOT BE HOME 24/7:

 

The following message contained an apartment address. Yu sighed.

 

> **7:21am Yu:**
> 
> Alright, thanks Naoto.

 

Weird things in Tokyo, huh? Well, Naoto wasn’t exactly one to just go spitting nonsense, but still, they took care of the TV World over a year ago now. Plus, in a location as far away as Tokyo? There was just no way something could happen, Naoto must just be on edge. He decided to put it out of his mind for now, he had enough to worry about as it was.

 

He backed out into his texting menu, the second text on the list from his texting buddy sometime last night. He sighed.

Of course, he has his suspicions about who was behind the other screen, after all not many people texted with bizzare shorthands that were likely more difficult to come up with than actual words, and not many more lived in the city for most of their life yet were unable to read a subway map, and, well, honestly the trashcan thing from a few days ago was just a dead giveaway. 

 

The other person on the other end of the line was probably Yosuke.

 

And it just occurred to Yu that he could confirm that right now. He opened up his chatting history with Naoto again, and looked down at the screen for a few seconds, briefly thinking about what he was about to do. After all, really, what were the odds?

 

> **7:25am Yu:**
> 
> Hey, just in case, could you give me Yosuke’s phone number?
> 
>  
> 
> **7:26am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> SURE. LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:26am Yu:**
> 
> Oh, I’m not actually planning on contacting him. 
> 
>  
> 
> **7:27am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> ????
> 
>  
> 
> **7:27am Yu:**
> 
> It’s… just in case, you know?

 

It wasn’t a complete lie.

 

> **7:28am PROBABLY NAOTO:**
> 
> ALRIGHT, I GUESS.

 

The next message contained a very familiar looking number. 

 

Yu set down his phone next to his futon and threw his hand over his eyes, groaning. Practically his worst fear had just been realized, and he probably wasn’t going to get much studying done before class. 

 

~~~

 

The day was slow and agonizing. His phone drew almost all of his attention away from class, just waiting to buzz with a message from Yosuke, which he wouldn’t know how to respond to. Of course Naoto wasn’t going to give away his number to Yosuke now, right? And he hasn’t said enough about his current situation for Yosuke to figure anything out himself, right? And of course he was doing the right thing by keeping his friends in the dark ever since his parents lugged him off to America, right?

Well, whatever the answer to that last one, it was working and he was already too far in to quit now. 

 

Eventually 3:30pm came around and Yu was finally able to fall face-first onto his futon, still wondering what the hell he was going to do. 

 

~~~

 

He must have slept for a little while because the next thing he knew it was 8:45pm and, funny enough, he STILL had no clue what to do. 

So, he got up and pushed his homework aside, instead opting to create a pros and cons chart of telling Yosuke who he really was. It basically boiled down to: he’d have his friend back… for a short period of time and then he would be stuck not seeing  _ any _ of the IT for a long, long time. Or, alternatively, he could keep up with the Directions Dude thing and have his friend and then hopefully laugh about the whole odd circumstance in a few years. 

He was starting to relax about the whole situation when suddenly he heard a buzz from across the room. After freezing for about a minute, he got up and walked to his nightstand, only to be greeted with a simple message.

 

> **~April 15th 2013~**
> 
> **11:12pm Probably Lost in Tokyo:**
> 
> hy u alive???

 

After taking a deep breath, forcing a smile, and picking up the phone, he was ready. Ready to reply to that message as casually and as normally as he could. He bit his lip, his thumb hovering over the screen for a few seconds. A bead of sweat forming on his forehead, his hands shaking until he finally got up the courage to type something on the small phone screen and that thing was:

 

> **11:23pm Yu:**
> 
> No.

 

Instead of pressing send, however, he pressed delete. And then continued to face plant back into his futon, screaming into a pillow, and eventually passing out.

 

~~~   
  


The next morning, he woke up with a sleepy sigh, took his phone, and decided that, yeah, he was bring rediculous last night, he could totally do this.

 

> **~April 16th 2013~**
> 
> **6:48am Yu:**  
>  So sorry, I am alive, yesterday was weird.

 

He got up, brushed his teeth, threw on a shirt and some pants, carefully combed his hair, and avoided his phone like the plague for a good half an hour.

All too soon he found himself sitting on the edge of his bed, looking at his face-down phone, the knowledge that he had to pick it up and check it if he was going to be on time for class sitting at the forefront of his brain.

Eventually, he sighed, bit his lip, closed his eyes, and picked it up. Like ripping a bandaid off. Except, there was no reply.

So, he sighed, picked up his bag, went to class, and sat there for a few hours looking at his phone, anxiously. If there was any good information in the lecture, he didn’t hear it. Class finally got out and he checked it again, still no answer. Now he was just getting antsy.

 

> **11:03am Yu:**
> 
> You there?

 

His next class wasn’t until 2pm, so he decided to stay on campus and get some studying done. He only really got about an hour in, though, until the thought about what could possibly be happening set in. Ok so what if Naoto DID tell Yosuke and now Yosuke was pissed because OBVIOUSLY Yu knew it was him on the other side of the phone. Or what if Yosuke figured it out and was just confused about what to do. Or, worse yet, what if he just decided he didn’t need a phone friend and just decided to drop Directions Dude and now Yu didn’t have a way of contacting him for multiple years and he had to go back to having no one-

 

> **12:45pm Yu:**
> 
> Don’t tell me you blocked me or something, I was away for one day.

 

The words were typed and sent before he realized, the panic on his face unconvincingly subdued by a forced smile to those around him. The girl across from him gave him a look that screamed “you ok dude?” Truth was, he didn’t even know the answer to that question.

So, he took a deep breath and looked back down at his textbook, realizing he still had a good 30 pages to read and take notes on before his next class. And, so, he ignored his phone-friend strife and buckled down on the homework.

 

~~~

 

He was about a half an hour into class, his mind finally mostly off of his phone, daydreaming since his professor was rambling about some court case from the 1980’s, and forcing himself to look anywhere but the small electronic brick in front of him. That meant he was staring straight out the window. Outside, he could see the sun shining through some thin clouds. What were they called again? Stratocumulus? Altocumulus? Something like that, he wasn’t exactly a cloud nerd. Alas, giving into temptation, he sighed and glanced down at his phone. Still no messages. 

 

> ** ~April 16th 2013~ **
> 
> **2:23pm Yu:**
> 
> Help the day is boring without you :’(

 

The rest of the class just seemed to be notes and what-not. Law school and daydreaming, this was probably the first class of his life he didn’t personally care about passing in. Apparently the other kids in the class didn’t really care either because some of them started whispering and giggling to each other around him.

 

> **4:30pm Yu:**
> 
> Please don’t make me socialize with actual people.

 

And still, to either his relief or dismay - he wasn’t sure which yet - no response. 

 

“Alright, class, make sure you have this paper turned in by Friday. Class dismissed.” 

 

He had that paper done last week. Sighing, again, he picked up his backpack and walked out without a look back. 

 

Normally after class was over for the day, he would head right home, but today was surprisingly nice out. He was about halfway to his car when he stopped, thought, and decided to stay. There was just something about going back to his room left alone to likely continue to obsess over his “issues” that was off putting. PLIT- er, Yosuke, would be proud. 

So, he wandered around for a second until he found a small tree out by the water where he could work. It was oddly peaceful, a few other students seemed to have found their way to the same place as him. He saw a few study groups and a few single students - like him - out studying - again, like him. Still, any noise or talking they were doing was swept away by the sound of the wind and the waves. 

He sat with his textbook and a notebook on his lap, but instead found himself staring straight ahead at the ocean. Somehow, the water by the northern part of Japan was a lot calmer than what he was used to back when he lived in Tokyo. It seemed clearer, there were parts where if you walked straight up to it, you could see neatly swept sand down to a meter or two. If you were lucky, you’d see a cool rock. The air was cleaner too, and the clouds where whiter and the stars almost as bright as the ones back in Inaba. He could really learn to love this place if it weren’t for one thing: the people. No perilous journeys where shared with those around him, there was no one to save from trash cans or to whisper answers in class to, hell, no one really even talked to him unless they needed a favor for a group project. Then again, it wasn’t like he was making much of an effort either, he already knew that there was no way any of the people here would even compare to his friends back home. If only he could go back there.

Yu looked down at his phone, and a thought popped into his mind. An epiphany of sorts: Yosuke was actually, genuinely, on the other side of the screen. Maybe he couldn’t go back there right now, but at least he had something. Maybe even, if he played his cards right, it could be like he had his most important friend back again. So what if Yosuke didn’t know the full story? So long as Yu was anonymous, he would have someone again, he could have  _ Yosuke  _ again. 

He picked up his phone, smiling, probably looking crazy to everyone around him, but, yeah, he had his closest friend back, the closest thing to family he’s ever had, and while it wasn’t ideal, it was something. 

 

...that was if Yosuke ever texted him back. 

 

Groaning, he put his phone back on the patch of grass next to him, he had already been over that bit of panic enough and decided to dive back into his studies to ignore it. He’d worry more tomorrow if he didn’t hear back. 

 

~~~

 

The next time he looked up from his textbook, the sun was already low in the sky, and the groups of people he remembered seeing earlier had mostly left. There were only a few people around either working on homework or just enjoying the view, each in their own little world. 

A cool April breeze rippled through the tree above him and he decided to let the studying rest for today. He took a deep breath and slumped against the tree, the rough bark dug into his shirt, but he didn’t care. The waves beat against the small beach in front of him. Looking around, he noticed the small clearing almost looked like the Samegawa Flood Plain, just with the ocean instead of a river. That place always seemed to give a sense of calm in the middle of the insanity back in Inaba, there were a good few times he even got Yosuke to just lay there with him, looking up at the clouds or the stars. It was always especially nice to glance over and see the night sky reflected in his best friend’s eyes.

 

Then of course, there was that one time they had that big brawl, something about Yosuke wanting Yu to straight up punch him because of his jealousy. Apparently it was to get even. His friend sure had a weird way of showing any sort of affection. Of course, Yu wasn’t going to do that, but really who would he have been to turn down a good old fashioned fist-to-face rumble?

After a good minute of fighting, they decided to call it a draw and lay down, just to breath for a few, they were both exhausted. Yosuke went on for a minute about living with his true self, while Yu listened intently. Yosuke never struck him as the kind to have some sort of deep reflection of himself, but he always seemed to surprise Yu in weird ways, and if anything it was a nice reminder that Yosuke was still trying to better himself. What punching the shit out of him on the banks of the Samegawa would have done for that, Yu still didn’t know, but the brawl at least seemed to help them both take out some pent up anger and frustrations. Especially Yu’s own emotionally charged feelings that he could never have the courage to let Yosuke know about.

And Yu was at peace for a second with those feelings, about how the person laying next to him, the dork who entered his life at the perfect time, who jump started this whole thing that allowed him to make friends he would never forget, who’s smile was contagious and eyes could light up a whole room, would never like him back. And he was totally, absolutely at peace with that. For a second. Until his mind started playing tricks on him, like, for instance, when he caught the aforementioned dork staring at him out of the corner of his eye in a way that he did to said dork when he wanted to see the stars in his eyes, or after a battle when no one was looking, a daydream-like trance in a sense.

And then he was back at square one, plus two.

 

He snapped back to attention when his phone buzzed next to him.

 

> **~April 16th 2013~**
> 
> **7:03pm Probably Lost in Tokyo:**
> 
> cybr fnd 2 the rscue. srz i frgt my phne at hme. wke up l8. wht hppnd ystrdy??

 

He smiled for a second, and then realized he would have to explain his own absence yesterday.

 

> **7:05pm Yu:**
> 
> Ah yes my cyber savior, even though class ended two hours ago. Don’t worry about yesterday, just some work stuff and I wound up falling asleep early. How was your phoneless day?

 

Well, it wasn’t a complete lie at least.

 

> **7:06pm Probably Lost in Tokyo:**
> 
> oops wll im hre now. n it ws sht cuz no music n no txting a rndm strngr. also wait u wrk? i thgt it ws jst scool 4 u.

 

Caught. He should have known, Yosuke was more observant than everyone pegged him as, he was the first to get the connection between the TV World and the murders after all. Still, there was no way Yu could just go “oh yeah Naoto Shirogane just messaged me to say you reallyyy miss me and also there might be some shit going down in Tokyo right now hahaha sorry for abandoning you for a year!!”

 

> **7:06pm Yu:**
> 
> It’s not really work stuff, just a silly ongoing thing I don’t really want to talk about. 
> 
>  
> 
> **7:06pm Probably Lost in Tokyo:**
> 
> u shr u dnt wnna tlk??? seems 2 bothr u.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:07pm Yu:**
> 
> It’s just, well I don’t really know. My parents aren’t the best people and I’m stuck somewhere I really don’t want to be. A friend of mine contacted me this morning and it’s made me realize that I might have made a mistake, but it’s like a hole and I’ve dug too deep already to stop. Eventually I’ll have to come out the other side though, right?

 

Nope nope nope. He quickly deleted all of that.

 

> **7:07pm Yu:**
> 
> I’m sure.

 

He sighed to himself. Was that really the truth? No, no it wasn’t. He’d have to bring it up sometime. Hell, he would right now if he could.

 

> **7:07pm Yu:**
> 
> Maybe someday.
> 
>  
> 
> **7:08pm Probably Lost in Tokyo:**
> 
> alrite... well hws ur day w/o me???
> 
>  
> 
> **7:08pm Yu:**
> 
> Like I think I said before, boring. 

 

They chatted back and forth for a little, exchanging stories. Yu mentioned studying by the ocean and sure enough, Yosuke was proud. It was a little odd, talking to PliT with the knowledge that it was actually, in fact, Yosuke on the other end. It was more exciting in a way and he began to pick up small things in the texts that were a lot more “Yosuke” than he first thought, like the multiple exclamations marks or question marks in some messages pretty much mirrored his over-expressive self when actually speaking. Or the many texts in a row he would occasionally receive in place of a proper paragraph, good to know Yosuke thought just as much about most of his texts as when he would actually speak out loud, well, serious conversations being the exception. 

 

They must have chatted for a good 3 or 4 hours. It was getting late and he still had to look into train tickets back to Tokyo for Golden Week, something he really wasn’t looking forward to. 

So, like the responsible adult he was known as by the majority of his friends and teachers, he instead plugged his phone in, plopped down on his bed, and fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love Naoto's texting habits. 
> 
> Anyways, how that for a lil' change of pace? Yu needs some love too. 
> 
> *Ahem* Go ahead and leave a cookie if you enjoyed. Need another one of those.


End file.
